Nigel Farage 'may sue' after EU expenses allegations
Ukip leader faces investigation into £60,000 of 'missing' European Union funds

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has said he is considering legal action after claims that he pocketed £15,500 per year in expenses for an office on which he pays no rent.
Farage, a member of the European Parliament, faces an investigation into almost £60,000 of "missing" European Union funds that have been paid into his personal bank account.
"I have been accused, on the front page of The Times, of siphoning off money to the Cayman Islands," Farage told BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, adding that he would take legal advice.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We are seeing yet another politically motivated attack from an establishment newspaper," he added. "The Times are wilfully misleading people into thinking that I have falsely claimed money from Brussels – I haven't."
Transparency reports revealed that the Ukip leader receives the £15,500 payment for the upkeep of his constituency office – a small grain store in the seaside town of Bognor Regis. However, it emerges that the space was given to Farage by supporters in 2009. The Times estimates that utilities and other non-rental costs amount to £3,000, leaving more than £12,000 per year unaccounted for.
Farage told interviewer Justin Webb that the money had been spent "legitimately" and that he was willing to submit to an independent audit.
A Ukip spokesman said that Farage was "confident he has abided by European parliamentary rules at all times when spending allowances".
Transparency reports have been filed only since 2009 so it is possible that Farage may have spent up to £200,000 of EU funds on "office management and running" costs since his election in 1999, The Times says.
"We get an allowance from the EU parliament and we can spend it how we see fit," Farage said. "We are taking exactly the same sums of money as any other British MEPs."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How generative AI is changing the way we write and speak
In The Spotlight ChatGPT and other large language model tools are quietly influencing which words we use
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap
-
Easy Money: the Charles Ponzi Story – an 'enlightening' podcast
The Week Recommends Apple Original podcast explores the 'fascinating' tale of the man who gave the investment scam its name
-
Is the G7 still relevant?
Talking Point Donald Trump's early departure cast a shadow over this week's meeting of the world's major democracies
-
Angela Rayner: Labour's next leader?
Today's Big Question A leaked memo has sparked speculation that the deputy PM is positioning herself as the left-of-centre alternative to Keir Starmer
-
Reform UK's councillors are off to a rocky start
In the Spotlight Three weeks after sweeping the local elections, Nigel Farage's insurgent party is beginning to realise how hard the path from rhetoric to reality really is
-
Are we entering the post-Brexit era?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer's 'big bet' with his EU reset deal is that 'nobody really cares' about Brexit any more
-
Is Starmer's plan to send migrants overseas Rwanda 2.0?
Today's Big Question Failed asylum seekers could be removed to Balkan nations under new government plans
-
Can Starmer sell himself as the 'tough on immigration' PM?
Today's Big Question Former human rights lawyer 'now needs to own the change – not just mouth the slogans' to win over a sceptical public
-
Where is the left-wing Reform?
Today's Big Question As the Labour Party leans towards the right, progressive voters have been left with few alternatives
-
Is the UK's two-party system finally over?
Today's Big Question 'Unprecedented fragmentation puts voters on a collision course with the electoral system'