Why can’t Nigel Farage be clear about his finances?
7/2/202640 min
Nigel Farage has become the face of Direct Bullion. Not a surprise to those of you buying gold, perhaps, but it probably is to those who don’t. And it earned him £270,000 in the process.
He’s also amassed a five-house property portfolio (three undeclared) and then there’s the small matter of the 5 million crypto donation. Again undeclared.
How is this sitting with a man who voted against the Employment Rights Act and wants to scrap the current minimum wage? Is it hurting Reform UK? Or is it just confirming he's as a maverick politician who can get away with stuff that others can’t?
Later, Luke Tryl from the polling organisation More in Common on the realignment of British political parties, just as Andy Burnham is set to become Prime Minister.
And - where exactly is Jon Sopel?
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Lewis Goodall· Host0:34
The latest, um, I think it's fair to say, um, strand of complexity to Nigel Farage's financial affairs. And by complex, I mean he's raking it in.
Emily Maitlis· Host0:44
[laughs] It's not that complex.
Lewis Goodall· Host0:46
Not that complex. Actually incredibly simple. He is loaded. He is being paid £270,000 for roughly 12 hours promotional work over three months. That is around 22 and a half thousand pounds per hour. Nice work if you can get it. Not clear if he's being paid in money or bullion, but I'm sure we'll see. Intriguing that Farage is getting ahead of the idea that he might have broken the rules and be forced to fight a by-election over it.
Emily Maitlis· Host1:09
There's a whole murkiness around really how transparent he's been about the money he's earned.
Lewis Goodall· Host1:14
He knows that he can't go into an election really with this, this sort of financial complexity. He knows that. You know, endorsing gold bullion, you know, being a brand ambassador. You wanna be PM, you know? You're not Jude Bellingham. He knows really deep down, I think, that that isn't gonna