Nigel Farage is under scrutiny regarding his tax situation as new revelations point to inconsistencies in his statements about the purchase of his luxury home in his Clacton constituency. Recent reports indicate that Farage’s partner, Laure Ferrari, was the one who acquired the property, contrary to Farage’s initial claim last November that he had bought the house himself.
If Farage had indeed purchased the home, he would have incurred an additional 5% in stamp duty costs, approximately £44,000. However, he later retracted his statement, admitting to misspeaking about buying the property. Farage clarified that Ferrari used her own funds to make the purchase, emphasizing that he did not provide any financial assistance.
An investigation by the BBC raised doubts about Ferrari’s family’s financial capacity to buy the house outright without a mortgage, as her parents reside in a more modest property in France. Furthermore, discrepancies emerged regarding Farage’s ownership of his Sevenoaks residence in Kent, which he claimed to be selling to finance the Clacton property. Despite his assertions, Land Registry records show that Farage still holds ownership of the Sevenoaks house.
In response to questions about the delays in selling his Kent property, Farage assured that the sale would proceed as soon as possible. Apart from the Clacton and Sevenoaks properties, Farage also owns three other buy-to-let residences acquired post-Brexit. Criticism has mounted against Farage, with calls for transparency and demands for the release of his tax returns. An online petition urging Farage to disclose his financial records has garnered over 54,000 signatures, emphasizing the importance of public trust in political figures.
While Farage’s solicitors maintain that there has been no tax evasion in the property transactions, concerns persist regarding the clarity of the situation. Pressure continues to mount on Farage to address the discrepancies and be forthcoming about his financial affairs to uphold transparency and accountability in public office.