Defence Minister urges Farage to launch āforensicā probe into Reform UK after Gill bribery case
Al Carns MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces and a former Royal Marine, said Farage must āleave no stone unturnedā in reviewing Reformās party structures, donors and representatives to guarantee that any remaining proāRussian links are rooted out.
Gill, who once led Reform UK in Wales and was closely associated with Farage through UKIP and the Brexit Party, was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison this week after pleading guilty to eight counts of bribery. Counterāterror police uncovered how Gill had received payments in return for making statements supportive of proāRussian media outlets in Ukraine.
Carns said the case āshould send shockwaves right to the top of Reform UK,ā adding:
āNo patriotic British political party should allow proāRussian elements to covertly have an influence on our political system or society. Itās as antiāBritish as you can get.ā
Wider security concerns
The intervention comes just days after the Defence Secretary warned that a Russian spy ship operating near UK waters had used lasers to disrupt RAF pilots monitoring its activities. Carns said the incident underlined the scale of the threat posed by Vladimir Putinās regime.
Labour has joined calls for Farage to initiate an independent investigation into Reform UKās structures to reassure the public that any proāRussian influence is identified and removed.
Farageās past comments
Farage has previously said he was āstunnedā to learn of Gillās crimes. However, critics have long accused him of echoing Kremlin talking points. In 2014, Farage described Putin as ābrilliantā and the world leader he most admired. He has also argued that NATO and EU expansion āprovokedā Russiaās invasion of Ukraine, comments which drew widespread condemnation.
In 2016, Farage described Gill as āhardāworking, honest, and loyalā while serving as UKIP Wales leader.
What happens next
Reform UK has faced repeated allegations of proāRussian leanings, and Carns said Farage must now prove he is willing to root out any remaining influence.
āItās time Nigel Farage demonstrated to the public that Putin has no hold over his party,ā he added.
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