“Farage was happy for everyone to know about Rayners finances. But why is he secretive about his own… ?”
The sheer hypocrisy! Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been criticised after saying that he is ‘not inclined’ to publish his tax returns, despite other party leaders pledging to do so.
Farage has declared more than £800,000 on top of his MPs’ salary since being elected to Parliament and over the weekend was challenged by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg to be transparent about his tax affairs and to follow in the footsteps of other party leaders.
Asked whether he would publish his tax returns, Farage said that it would be an ‘intrusion too far’ and that he didn’t believe it was necessary.
The Reform leader’s decision not to be transparent comes after he admitted he was wrong to claim he had bought a home in his Clacton constituency when the four-bedroom property with a pool was actually purchased by his girlfriend.
The Guardian revealed in May that the detached property in an upmarket part of Clacton-on-Sea was actually solely bought by Laure Ferrari, and when approached by the newspaper the Reform UK leader insisted his name did not appear because of “security reasons”.
Anna Turley, the Labour Party Chair, said Farage had “repeatedly misled his constituents and the British public” about buying the home. “Given he has had much to say on other people’s tax affairs this week, it’s only right that he comes clean and makes the full facts over this public,” she added.
Reacting on X, one social media user wrote: “Releasing your tax return is personal. But so is Angela Rayner having to lift a court order on the situation with her children.
“Farage was happy for everyone to know about Rayners finances. But why is he secretive about his own… ?”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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