UKIP leader Nigel Farage faces an investigation into his expenses after £60,000 from his EU office budget was allegedly paid into his personal bank account, according to The Times.
Farage insists that he has used the £15,500 he receives from the EU each year to go towards the upkeep of his constituency office and other related costs as intended. However, Farage’s constituency office in Bognor Regis has been donated to the party rent-free by UKIP supporters 15 years ago.
The UKIP leader claims that without rent, the office still costs around £1,000 per month to run, but a former UKIP official disagrees and has filed a formal complaint with OLAF, the EU’s anti-fraud office, keeping themselves anonymous to avoid the physical threats that others who have raised questions about the party’s finances have faced.
Under EU rules, MEPs are not required to provide receipts to prove how they use their expenses, instead describing it as a “matter of honour” that the funds are spent correctly.
Farage has seen a meteoric rise in popularity in recent months, with most believing him to have convincingly beaten Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in both the radio and televised debates on the question of Britain within the EU. According to the latest YouGov poll, UKIP is currently the UK’s third largest party with support from 12% of the electorate, compared to 38% for Labour, 33% for the Conservatives, and 9% for the Liberal Democrats.
