LONDON, Dec 16 (Reuters) – Britain ordered a review on Tuesday into foreign financial interference in politics, following the conviction of a former member of the right-wing Reform UK party for taking bribes to promote Russian interests in the European Parliament.
Nathan Gill, a former Reform UK leader in Wales and former European lawmaker, was jailed last month for more than 10 years after admitting he took about 40,000 pounds ($53,732) in bribes to make pro-Russian speeches between 2018 and 2019.
“The facts are clear. A British politician took bribes to further the interests of the Russian regime,” Housing Secretary Steve Reed said in a statement. “This conduct is a stain on our democracy. The independent review will work to remove that stain.”
Reform UK, which has just five seats in the British parliament but now regularly leads in opinion polls, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The party has previously distanced itself from Gill, calling his actions “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable”.
The review will examine political finance rules and safeguards against illicit foreign money, Reed’s office said, adding that its findings could lead to new laws.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had urged Reform leader Nigel Farage to investigate any Russian links within his party. The party’s chair, Zia Yusuf, has said it was “unreasonable” to link Gill’s actions to the party’s wider stance on Russia.
During his trial, prosecutors said Gill had been stopped on his way to Russia in 2021 and police found evidence on his phone that he had been paid to push pro-Russian positions through speeches, motions and media appearances.
He was also found to have received payments and talking points from Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian lawmaker sanctioned by Britain and the United States.
On Monday, the head of Britain’s MI6 spy agency warned that Russia remained an “aggressive, expansionist and revisionist” threat, accusing Moscow of dragging out peace talks over Ukraine.
($1 = 0.7444 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young, Sam Tabahriti and Muvija M, writing by Sam Tabahriti; editing by William James)
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