Gill jailing prompts calls for an inquiry

HERE has been a call for an investigation into Russian interference in British politics after a former ally of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was jailed for accepting bribes from associates of Vladimir Putin.

- PRESS ASSOCIATION REPORTERS

Nathan Gill, 52, a former leader of Reform UK in Wales, received £40,000 for making pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament. The former leader of Reform UK in Wales was jailed for 10-and-a-half years for a “grave betrayal” of the British public. The Old Bailey heard Gill was paid by Oleg Voloshyn, 44, an ex-Ukrainian MP, who was acting on behalf of Putin supporter Victor Medvedchuk, 71.

Sentencing him yesterday, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: “Parliamentarians wield significant influence over public and political discourse. It is incumbent upon them to speak with honesty and conviction, irrespective of whether their views are met with approval or dissent. When you say what someone has paid you to say, you are not speaking with sincerity. If it were your genuine opinion, you would not need to be paid for saying it.”