The Reform leader failed to register a trip to the US where he headlined at a Republican fundraising event
Nigel Farage has admitted to breaking parliamentary rules by failing to declare a trip to the US where he spoke at a Donald Trump fundraiser.
The Reform leader did not record the trip in his register of interests, despite being required to do so.
Farage was the main speaker at a $500 per head Republican party dinner in Florida in March.
Guests could even pay up to $25,000 (£18,440) for a “Trump sponsor” package at the dinner, which included photos with the Clacton MP and tickets to a VIP reception.
It is one of several occasions where Farage has skipped parliament to go to a Trump event in the US.
Farage claimed he had failed to declare the trip “due to an error by his office”. The parliamentary code of conduct makes clear that MPs must register visits abroad that cost more than £300 if they are not “wholly” paid for by the MP or by public funds.
Farage has still not revealed who funded the trip. He said he received payment “in three separate instalments over the course of two months”, but insisted he paid for the travel himself.
Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrat deputy leader, said: “Nigel Farage needs to come clean on who’s bankrolling his trips abroad to badmouth Britain. He uses every opportunity he can to talk down Britain and suck up to Trump while failing to represent his constituents in parliament.
“The public deserve to know whether the Trump administration and their cronies are funding these trips, using Farage as a puppet to meddle in British politics.”
Last week, Farage was under fire over the purchase of a house in his constituency of Clacton. He initially said he paid for the property himself, before saying his girlfriend Laure Ferrari bought it.
As Farage owns four other homes, this would have saved him an estimated £44,000 in stamp duty.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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