NIGEL Farage has said it is “nonsense” to suggest he received hundreds of thousands of pounds from the Russian state.
Labour MP Chris Bryant told a parliamentary debate that he wanted to “point out” payments for Farage amounting to almost £550,000, which he said came from the Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT – formerly known as Russia Today.
But former Ukip and Brexit Party leader Farage dismissed the claims and said he only received “two small appearance fees” with both “well under £5,000”.
Speaking in the House of Commons as MPs considered Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Bryant said he was “mystified” by some of the names missing from the UK sanctions list.
READ MORE: Nigel Farage slammed after launching Brexit-style campaign for 'referendum on net zero'
The former minister used parliamentary privilege to identify individuals including broadcasters “trotting out propaganda” on Russian television, others said to be associates of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime, plus those involved in Gazprom contracts.
Bryant also questioned why Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s properties “owned through his subsidiaries, as it were, or members of his family rather” have not been frozen.
He went on: “I don’t understand why Arron Banks, frankly, isn’t on the list either. Even Isabel Oakeshott now thinks that he is an ‘agent of influence for the Russian state’.
“I simply point out that Nigel Farage received from Russia Today £548,573 in 2018 alone – from the Russian state.”
Farage told the PA news agency: “What a nonsense, sadly said under parliamentary privilege.
“I had two small appearance fees back then, well under £5,000. Not appeared since.”
He added: “I didn’t do anything with RT in 2018.”
Asked when he received the “two small appearance fees” he referred to in his initial statement, Farage said: “Different years, a couple of bits of business in 2016 and 2017.”
On why Bryant raised the figure he did for 2018, Farage said: “I have absolutely no idea. I did do Fox News, I was a contributor, I did five days a week with LBC, all sorts of stuff.”
He added: “I don’t know where he’s dreaming this up from.”
Banks was a major donor to the Leave.EU campaign in the run-up to the 2016 referendum.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel