Richard Tice
Reform UK Deputy Leader; MP for Boston and Skegness since 2024; real-estate businessman.
Last refreshed: 14 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is Richard Tice defending a £5 million gift to Farage as unconditional?
Timeline for Richard Tice
Defended the £5m Harborne gift as unconditional
UK Local Elections 2026: Standards probe opens on Farage £5m giftFramed the £5 million as unconditional personal gift for lifetime security costs
UK Local Elections 2026: Standards opens Farage £5m gift inquiry- Who is Richard Tice in Reform UK?
- Tice is Deputy Leader of Reform UK and MP for Boston and Skegness. He co-founded the Brexit Party with Farage and led it from 2021 to 2023 before Farage returned.Source: Reform UK / BBC
- What did Richard Tice say about the Farage £5 million gift?
- Tice called it an unconditional personal gift that did not require parliamentary declaration, defending Farage as the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner opened a formal inquiry.Source: UK Elections 2026 coverage
- Was Richard Tice leader of the Brexit Party?
- Yes. Tice led the Brexit Party from 2021 to 2023 while Farage stood back from frontline politics; Farage returned and rebranded the party as Reform UK.Source: Electoral Commission / BBC
- What business does Richard Tice run?
- Tice built his career in commercial real estate, including as a shareholder and executive at CLS Holdings, a commercial property company.Source: CLS Holdings / Companies House
Background
Richard Tice is Deputy Leader of Reform UK and MP for Boston and Skegness, a seat he won at the July 2024 general election. He rose to prominence through the Leave Means Leave campaign ahead of the 2016 referendum, co-founded the Brexit Party in 2019, and served as its leader from 2021 to 2023 while Farage was absent from frontline politics. He built his business career in commercial real estate through CLS Holdings and various property investment vehicles.
When the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner opened an investigation in May 2026 into whether Farage failed to declare a £5 million gift from donor Christopher Harborne, Tice publicly defended the arrangement as an "unconditional personal gift" that required no declaration . His defence is central to Reform UK's public position on the Standards inquiry.