Nigel Farage is facing mounting questions about his £885,000 constituency home after an investigation called into question how the property was paid for.
The Reform UK leader has denied avoiding more than £44,000 of stamp duty on the four-bedroom house in Clacton, which includes a heated swimming pool, after it emerged it had in fact been purchased by his partner.
Mr Farage said his partner, Laure Ferrari, had paid for the home with her own funds, and was able to do so as she comes from a wealthy French family.
But a BBC investigation cast doubt on the claim, suggesting that her parents do not have the means to have made a significant contribution towards the purchase.
If Mr Farage had given Ms Ferrari the money to purchase the house, he would not have done anything illegal. But it would raise questions of hypocrisy, given that the Reform leader criticised Angela Rayner for her own failure to pay enough stamp duty when purchasing a flat in Hove – something she eventually resigned over.
“I haven’t lent money to anybody. I didn’t give her money,” he told the Mirror.
“She comes from a very successful French family and she can afford it herself. It’s convenient, it works, and she loves it there.”
Labour Party chair Anna Turley said: “There are now far too many unanswered questions about the house he stays in while in Clacton. He must urgently come clean with the public as to whether he financially contributed towards the purchase of this property.
“Misleading the public for political gain about buying a constituency home is appalling in itself. But if he deliberately put in place this arrangement to avoid paying his fair share of tax, that would be even worse.”
Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “Nigel Farage has serious questions to answer over this. After spending days attacking others over their tax arrangements, he now needs to be frank and honest about his own.”
The Clacton house was purchased last November amid questions about how much time Mr Farage was spending in his constituency. Days before, he told Sky News: “I’ve just exchanged contracts on the house that I’ll be living in there – is that good enough? … I’ve bought a house in Clacton. What more do you want me to do?”
He has since admitted he was wrong to say he had bought the house, as it is owned by his partner.
Mr Farage reportedly owns four properties, including three in Kent and one in Surrey, meaning he would have paid a higher rate of stamp duty if he purchased the Clacton home.
The BBC’s investigation cast doubt on Ms Ferrari’s wealth, reporting that her father ran a haulage business in Strasbourg for many years, but the company was liquidated in 2020 and had more assets than liabilities at the time.
The flat her parents live in, in a suburb of the northeastern city, is reportedly worth around £300,000.
A consultancy set up by Ms Ferrari, meanwhile, has just £1,000 in assets, according to its latest set of accounts.
A spokesperson for Mr Farage said: “Laure Ferrari is the sole legal and beneficial owner of the property.
“It belongs solely to Laure and was purchased with funds which belong to her. All taxes were properly paid. Nigel has no financial interest in the property whatsoever.”
