Nigel Farage earned £270,000 for gold bullion promotion
Nigel Farage reportedly earned £270,000 for 12 hours of work promoting gold bullion, raising questions about MPs' second jobs.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, has reportedly earned £270,000 for just 12 hours of work promoting a gold bullion company, Direct Bullion. The sum, which works out at roughly £20,000 an hour, has reignited debate about the rules governing MPs' second jobs. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer seized on the revelation during Prime Minister's Questions, saying: "I'm happy with their leader earning £20,000 an hour flogging gold bullion. They need to ask the questions across their benches, but they never do." A Reform UK spokesman confirmed that Farage is a brand ambassador for Direct Bullion, adding that the arrangement has been "previously reported and declared." The disclosure comes as Farage is already under investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards over an undeclared gift of £5 million from a cryptocurrency billionaire. Critics argue that the system for regulating MPs' outside earnings is broken. One MP quoted in the report said: "Trust in politics and politicians is at an all time low. A real way to show that we're changing things is to start off by banning this racket of MPs second jobs. It stinks. The public knows it stinks and it's got to stop." The report also noted that other senior politicians have declared significant outside earnings, including former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (£373,000 a year from an AI advisory role) and former Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner (£61,500 advance for a book). Separately, the broadcast touched on President Donald Trump's finances, noting that he earned more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency dealings in his first year of his second term, and that his team says the assets are managed by a trust run by his sons.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 |
|---|---|
| Nigel Farage earned £270,000 for about 12 hours of work promoting Direct Bullion. | |
| Nigel Farage is under investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards over an undeclared gift of £5 million from a cryptocurrency billionaire. | |
| The Prime Minister criticized Nigel Farage's earnings during Prime Minister's Questions. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The channel focused on the controversy surrounding Nigel Farage's earnings, highlighting the Prime Minister's criticism and the broader issue of MPs' second jobs. It also drew a parallel to President Trump's financial disclosures, suggesting a pattern of high-level politicians earning large sums while in office. The tone was critical of the current rules, describing the sum as 'astonishing' and noting that it is 'entirely within the rules' but questioning its acceptability.
- “Nigel Farage has earned £270,000 for about 12 hours work promoting a gold dealer, Direct Bullion.”
- “I'm happy with their leader earning £20,000 an hour flogging gold bullion. They need to ask the questions across their benches, but they never do.”
- “It's an astonishing sum of money, isn't it? And apparently entirely within the rules.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.