Did Farage consider a £5 million bung his salary?

Quite what was behind the £5 million personal donation handed to Nigel Farage by Christopher Harborne, the Thai-based cryptocurrency billionaire who also goes by the name of Chakrit Sakunkrit?

Was it, as he initially claimed, to pay for his personal security? Was it, as he later argued, a reward for his many years of campaigning for Britain to leave the EU? Or does Farage, as he appeared to imply during a typically tetchy interview with the BBC’s Nick Robinson this morning, consider it to be his actual salary?

Finally emerging from his self-imposed post-Makerfield bunker to speak to the Today presenter, Farage was asked if he would be happy if the next prime minister secretly banked a £5 million cheque from a billionaire whose business interests he was promoting. “Er, well, I would refute that entirely. I’m not promoting his business interests,” he said.

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Asked why he didn’t reveal the donation, the Reform leader asked, “Why should I? I wasn’t in politics. I wasn’t in politics.” But Farage was then, as now, the owner of Reform UK.

“Number one, I wasn’t in politics,” he went on. “Number two, I don’t believe there’s anything in the rules that says I have to declare it. Number three, of course it is being investigated by standards, so perhaps I’d better not say too much and lastly, even if the UK, even if London became a centre for crypto trading, it would still be a minute part of the global market.” So that’s alright then!

Finally, pushed on whether he would give the money back, Farage asked Robinson: “Will you give your salary to charity? How about that? How about that? I’ll tell you what – if you give your entire salary to charity then maybe I will.

“You are the main interviewer for our national broadcaster, you equally have a very responsible public position.”

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So there you go – by comparing his £5 million to Robinson’s salary – paid by the BBC for the work he does on its behalf – Farage appears to be confirming he considers the cash from Harborne his salary. So who is he working for – the British people, or a Thai-based crypto billionaire?

Farage also used the interview to confirm that his Makerfield candidate’s social media history – Robert Kenyon was found to have posted about lurid sexual fantasies involving TV star Carol Vorderman – had been unhelpful, but did nothing to indicate he would improve Reform’s vetting, which at present appears to involve asking prospective candidates if they have a pulse and then hoping for the best.

“Look, you know, we couldn’t find his social media posts, he’s a plumber, a rugby player, ex-Army, one of the lads, likes a beer, and it was male banter, it wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t good, it didn’t help,” he said. “I will admit that it didn’t help.” So you can be sure it won’t happen again…