Nigel Farage says petrol bomb was set alight on porch of his home last year
Nigel Farage has revealed he was the victim of a firebombing attack at his home last year, as it emerged he was sent a ‘gift’ of £5 million by a supporter to go towards security.
An incendiary device was pushed through his letterbox in an ‘outright arson attempt’, the Reform UK leader told the Telegraph.
He said: ‘I wasn’t at home at the time, but when I came back and opened the door I found the damage.
‘Luckily it had burned itself out in the porch, and we think maybe the perpetrators were disturbed in the act.’
No suspects have been identified so far, he added, though the police were ‘all over it’.
Farage said the scale of threats had led to a seven-figure personal gift from Christopher Harborne, a British billionaire who lives in Thailand, to pay for his security.
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The Telegraph reported the gift is in the region of £5 million.
Harborne has drawn attention recently for donating more than £12m to Reform – including £9m in one go last December, the largest single donation by a living person to a UK political party in history.
Farage told the newspaper: ‘I have tried and failed in the past to get security funded by the Home Office and I don’t think the state will ever help me.
‘I’m very much on my own and will be for the rest of my life, and I have to face up to that grim reality.
‘Christopher is an ardent supporter who is deeply concerned for my safety.’
As the money for security was a personal gift and does not count as a political donation, it was not taxed or declared.
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: ‘This £5 million from the crypto billionaire raises serious questions. What is Nigel Farage hiding? And why does Reform think the rules don’t apply to them?
‘This stinks and Reform should come clear now.’
He confirmed the Tories had referred Farage to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.
The Clacton MP has previously spoken out about concerns for his safety after several incidents where milkshakes were thrown at him.
He said he had not previously disclosed the arson attack on his home as he was worried it would require him to further increase his security.
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