Reform accuses National Crime Agency of leaking bank statements as Richard Tice demands probe
A £5million gift made by cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne to Nigel Farage was reported to the National Crime Agency
A £5million gift made by cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne to Nigel Farage was reported to the National Crime Agency
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has called on the National Crime Agency to investigate alleged leaks of private financial information.
Mr Tice penned a letter to the watchdog's boss, Graeme Biggar, after claiming details about his private financial matters were handed over to The Guardian newspaper.
He also claimed Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was subject to the leaks, including on the £5million gift from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.
Mr Tice told The Telegraph: “I believe the National Crime Agency has leaked confidential conversations between me and my bank managers as well as multiple bank statements from different banks to The Guardian.
“One or more people at the NCA have thus committed numerous criminal acts. This appears to be a deliberate tactic to smear and discredit me.
"I have nothing to hide. I think the same has occurred against Nigel Farage.
“I demand an immediate explanation from the director general, an internal inquiry and for the police to investigate. Someone must be held accountable."
Mr Tice spoke out after it was revealed his property firm Tisun Investments took a bridging loan of £80,000 in December 2024 from convicted fraudster George Cottrell.
The Boston & Skegness MP, who repaid the loan in February 2025, also received a £1million donation from Mr Cottrell's mother in June 2024.
Mr Tice was unaware his transactions had been flagged to the NCA under its suspicious activity report until he was contacted by The Guardian.
The newspaper also reported on Tuesday night that bankers had flagged a suspicious activity report to the NCA over Mr Harborne's £5million gift to Mr Farage.
Before confirming his plan to resign as the MP and trigger a by-election in Clacton, Mr Farage said: “Perhaps Dominic Cummings was right last year when he said Whitehall will break the law to stop Reform winning power.
“And we’ve been subject in the last few months to the use of illegally obtained information, firm evidence of computer hacking and now leaks from government agencies.”
Mr Farage is facing an investigation from the Commons standards watchdog over the undeclared gift from Mr Harborne before he entered the House of Commons in 2024.
Mr Harborne’s lawyers have told The Guardian that Mr Farage received the money on April 5, 2024.
Sources told The Guardian bankers had raised an SAR to the NCA over the gift on May 16, 2024, 49 days before voters in Clacton elected Mr Farage.
The Reform UK leader is also expected to face an investigation over the alleged payments made by Mr Cottrell, who is also known as "Posh George".
If Mr Farage is found to have broken parliamentary rules, the punishment could range from an apology to suspension from the House of Commons.
Discussing the gift from Mr Harborne, Mr Farage said: "On the gift, it was given to me on an unconditional basis.
"I can do with that money exactly as I wish, but there is a much bigger reason why I’m going to need that money, and it’s simply this.
"For over 20 years now, I have been subject to constant demonisation by the press for daring to be outside the consensual view on many issues.
"I’ve been attacked again and again. I am the most physically and verbally attacked public figure or politician of modern times.
"Yes, you will know of some of the incidents, milkshakes thrown in my face, placards bashed over my head, but let me promise you, you only know about a fraction of the number of times that I’ve been assaulted."
A spokesman for the NCA told GB News: “The NCA does not confirm or deny the receipt of SARs, nor comment on how any SAR is used.
"SARs are confidential and breaching that confidentiality risks committing a tipping-off offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act."