7OCT

Lib Dem seeks second Farage inquiry

1 min read

13:09UTC

Lib Dem MP Josh Babarinde asked the standards commissioner to open a second inquiry into donations he says Farage took from a convicted fraudster, while the first inquiry sits unresolved.

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Key takeaway

A second referral means two open standards inquiries now sit over Farage's declared and undeclared funding.

Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde wrote to Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg on 5 July, asking him to open a second investigation into donations Babarinde says Nigel Farage received from a convicted fraudster⁠¹. Greenberg's original inquiry, into a separate gift, remained open with no ruling.

The Commissioner polices MPs' compliance with the Commons Code of Conduct, including the duty to register and declare financial interests. Babarinde said there was 'a serious question as to whether Mr Farage met his obligations under the Code of Conduct'. The characterisation of the donor as a convicted fraudster is Babarinde's; Farage denies any breach, and no finding has been made against him.

The request adds a second front to the standards scrutiny Greenberg opened in May over the gift from businessman Christopher Harborne. Two open inquiries now run in parallel, both centred on how Farage's political operation was financed before and after the 2024 election.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

Josh Babarinde is a Liberal Democrat MP. He has asked Parliament's Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, to open a second investigation into Nigel Farage, this time over donations Babarinde says came from someone previously convicted of fraud. This is separate from an earlier inquiry into a different donation Farage received, which is still ongoing with no ruling yet. Babarinde says Farage may not have followed the rules MPs must obey when accepting money. No findings have been made in either case. Farage denies wrongdoing. If the Commissioner eventually recommends a suspension long enough, Clacton's own voters, not Parliament, would get the final say on whether he keeps his seat, through a process called a recall petition.

Deep Analysis

Root Causes

The complaint matters procedurally because of what a finding could trigger: under the Recall of MPs Act 2015, a Commons suspension of 10 or more sitting days over a standards breach hands the decision on removal to Clacton's constituents via a recall petition, not to the Commissioner.

That threshold is why timing matters more than the substance of any single complaint. A second, unresolved inquiry alongside the still-open Harborne case raises the cumulative stakes without yet meeting the sanction level that would put a recall vote in play.

Sources:Washington Times

Mentions:Josh Babarinde →Daniel Greenberg →Nigel Farage →Parliament →Christopher Harborne →Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards →Clacton →

First Reported In

Update #11 · Farage to quit Clacton to force by-election

Washington Times· 8 Jul 2026

Read original →

Causes and effects

Caused by

Standards probe opens on Farage £5m gift

Babarinde's new complaint adds a second front to the still-open Harborne inquiry.

Occurred 13 May 2026

Read story →

Standards inquiry pauses as Farage exits

The pause also freezes the second referral into Farage's donations lodged on 5 July.

Occurred 8 Jul 2026

Read story →

This Event

Lib Dem seeks second Farage inquiry

A second referral widens the standards exposure around Farage's funding just as he stages a by-election to look vindicated.

Different Perspectives

Rhun ap Iorwerth / Welsh Government (Plaid Cymru)

Ap Iorwerth presented six priorities to the Senedd on 22 September without numeric targets or a named partner party, promising to work across the chamber where there is common ground. He says his government will be judged on results.

Michael Marra / Scottish Labour

Marra won the leadership on 19 September, and three days later his 17 MSPs backed Swinney's right-to-decide motion once their child-poverty amendment was written in. He says Scottish Labour's task is to tell voters what it stands for.

Andy Burnham / Labour Party

Burnham told conference in Liverpool on 29 September that Labour's next manifesto will commit to changing the electoral system, and invited every party into a National Commission on Electoral Reform. He has not named a replacement system, and no chair or remit has been published.

Conservative Party (frontbench peers and Kemi Badenoch)

Conservative frontbench peers argued against retrospective rules at the Lords Second Reading on 14 September, a position that protects gifts made before any cap. Kemi Badenoch rejected Burnham's electoral reform commission on 2 October, accusing him of using it to entrench the left.

Reform UK

Reform denied wrongdoing after the Channel 4 News programme, called the sting a hoax by climate activists and said it would cooperate with the Metropolitan Police. In the same month it announced £36m gifts from Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne.

Steff Aquarone / Liberal Democrats (North Norfolk)

Aquarone told Rayner in the Commons on 7 September that North Norfolk District Council had spent money preparing for a reorganisation the Government has now withdrawn. He puts the cost of the cancelled merger on districts in the four areas.