Nigel Farage is facing a potential police investigation after a former senior Reform UK campaigner accused him of breaching electoral law during his successful bid for the Clacton seat.
Richard Everett – a former Reform councillor and a member of the inner campaign team that helped secure Farage’s first parliamentary victory – has submitted a dossier to the Metropolitan Police alleging that significant local campaign spending was misreported as national expenditure.
Everett claims the true cost of the campaign exceeded legal limits by around £9,000, and that key spending – including leaflets, banners, utility bills and even the refurbishment of a Reform-themed bar inside the Clacton office – was never declared.
🔍 Police Assess Claims of Undeclared Spending
Documents provided to the Met reportedly show Reform’s official return listed £20,299.80 in local campaign spending – just £400 below the legal limit of £20,660.
But Everett insists the figure is false, alleging that:
- campaign leaflets featuring Farage’s face and local ward names were unreported
- utility bills for the Clacton campaign office were missing
- the refurbishment of a Reform-blue bar was not declared
- the loan of an armoured Land Rover used by Farage on Clacton Pier was omitted as a donation
If proven, both Nigel Farage and his election agent Peter Harris could face personal liability for breaching electoral law.
📉 Reform UK Dismisses Allegations as ‘Disgruntled Lies’
Reform strongly denies any wrongdoing.
A party spokesperson described Everett – who defected from the Conservatives last year – as a “disgruntled former councillor”, claiming he was expelled in August for “sexually inappropriate behaviour” in the Clacton office.
Everett emphatically denies this claim.
Reform says the accusations are “inaccurate”, insisting no laws were broken and that it “looks forward to clearing our name”.
🗳️ What Happens Next?
Given the seriousness of the accusations, the Met’s specialist crime group will now review Everett’s evidence, which includes:
- receipts
- photographs of campaign materials
- Reform’s official spending return
- Farage’s signed declaration to the Electoral Commission
Although most electoral offences carry a one-year statute of limitations, police and prosecutors can seek extensions in exceptional cases.
🚙 The Armoured Land Rover Mystery
One of the most striking allegations centres on the armoured Land Rover Farage used at his final rally.
The vehicle – from which Farage waved a placard through the roof – does not appear on spending returns. Everett believes it was donated for the day, meaning it should have been formally declared as a campaign gift.
Under electoral law, national party funds cannot be used to promote a specific candidate by name or photograph, meaning any omission is significant.
🔥 Internal Fallout Inside Reform UK
The scandal has exposed deep tensions within Farage’s inner circle.
- Harris – the election agent who signed off the disputed spending – has since been selected as Reform’s candidate in the delayed Essex mayoral contest.
- Everett and Harris have reportedly fallen out, with the party claiming Harris reported Everett over misconduct.
- Reform insiders accuse Labour of committing “electoral fraud” by delaying the Essex mayoral election and say Farage will challenge the decision in court.
🎙️ Everett: ‘Farage Had No Idea What Was Being Left Off’
Speaking to The Telegraph, Everett claimed Farage was “blissfully unaware” of the alleged omissions but insisted the responsibility lies with the campaign team.
He maintains the law was broken:
“Because of my experience as an agent, I know what is meant to be on these returns. In this case, I believe the spending exceeded the legal limit. Items were missing or wrong.”
The Met now faces pressure to determine whether Britain’s newest MP ran a campaign inside – or outside – the law.
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