Trump backs Farage as Reform leader returns from US to face questions over deepening row over his finances - and clashes with cameraman

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 10:09, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 10:29, 7 July 2026 Nigel Farage had an angry clash with a TV crew last night as he returned to the UK amid a growing row over his financial arrangements. The Reform UK leader confronted a Sky News reporter at Heathrow after a trip to the United States. Mr Farage is under the heaviest pressure of his time as Reform leader following reports that long-term ally George Cottrell had provided undeclared funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected.  Parliament's standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg is already investigating a £5 million gift the MP received from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne. Mr Farage reacted angrily when asked whether it had been a mistake not to declare the gifts, saying:  'You tell your bosses, you harass my family any more… serious consequences. That's what your organisation has done this morning. Go away.' Sky said it had not contacted anyone from Mr Farage's family about the story.     Mr Farage did manage to win the backing of Donald Trump after his transatlantic trip. The US president, a long-term ally, appeared to echo his claim that he is the victim of an 'establishment hit job' over claims he failed to declare cash and gifts worth millions before becoming an MP. Mr Farage was involved in a confrontation with a television crew as he returned to the UK from the United States last night The Reform UK leader is under pressure following reports that long-term ally George Cottrell (back left)  had provided funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected The US president, a long-term ally of Mr Farage, appeared to echoed his claim that he is the victim of an 'establishment hit job' In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, the US leader shared a link to an article on The National Pulse website titled 'They're Running the 2024 Anti-Trump Playbook on Nigel Farage'. The article accuses the UK media of giving far more coverage to 'every gaffe, controversy, or disagreement' by Farage and Reform, while 'policy successes or growing voter support are frequently downplayed'. Mr Trump personally called Mr Farage to congratulate him on his political success in achieving the removal of Sir Keir Starmer from No 10, The Times reported.  The Sunday Times reported this weekend that Mr Cottrell, known as 'Posh George', who has a fraud conviction in the United States, provided funding for staffing and security, and the use of a London townhouse. Critics have said that this should have been declared under Parliamentary rules in place at the time of Mr Farage's election in 2024, under which new MPs were required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift 'could not be reasonably thought by others' to relate to their political activities. Mr Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage's social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.  If the probe finds against the Reform leader and suspends him from the Commons for more than 30 days he would be subject to a recall petition by voters, which could trigger a summer by-election.  Labour and the Liberal Democrats have already demanded a parliamentary sleaze inquiry into the latest claims. The Reform leader on Sunday issued a statement saying he had not broken any rules. He said: 'I have done no wrongdoing, followed the rules and I am now considering legal action against The Sunday Times. 'It's now clear the establishment will stop at nothing to hurt Reform – we want to smash their cosy consensus.' Labour has asked the Electoral Commission to investigate whether the support should have been declared because Mr Farage was a prominent figure in Reform even before he returned to frontline politics. The party also questioned whether Montenegro-based Mr Cottrell was a permissible donor, claiming it was not clear whether he was on a UK electoral register at the time. Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley wrote to the Electoral Commission to call for an investigation. She said: 'It is now abundantly clear that Mr Farage may have not only broken Parliamentary rules, he may have broken the law. 'Farage can't brazenly brush this off as being 'none of your business' any longer. He needs to own his self-inflicted scandal and prove he's not been secretly breaking the rules and taking the British public for fools.'