Farage's claims about who had met Russian asset unravel

NIGEL Farage has falsely claimed he is the only current senior figure in Reform to have ever met Nathan Gill, the party's disgraced former leader in Wales.

- CONOR GOGARTY Investigations editor [e-mail]

NIGEL Farage has falsely claimed he is the only current senior figure in Reform to have ever met Nathan Gill, the party's disgraced former leader in Wales.

It comes after Gill admitted eight charges of taking bribes to speak in favour of Russia when he was a Ukip and Brexit Party member of the European Parliament (MEP).

Farage, who led both of those parties, told the BBC on Friday: "I'm the only person in the senior management team of Reform who's ever even met him."

But Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice and chairman David Bull both spent time with the Anglesey-based politician, who was an MEP for Wales between 2014 and 2020.

Before his exposure as a Russian asset, Gill was effusively praised by Tice at a Brexit Party event in 2019. Introducing Gill to the stage, Tice said: "Your first speaker is well known to you. He's been an MEP for the last five years. He's also before that been a very successful entrepreneur who employed over 200 people."

Tice led Reform when he posted a picture of him smiling next to Gill outside the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. The social post, from April 2021, read: "Great to be with Nathan Gill, leader of Reform UK Wales, campaigning today. Wales needs to reopen, never lockdown again and focus on cutting taxes...