Nigel Farage has told friends he is considering his future in politics after a series of security problems and funding scandals.
Britain’s embattled leader was forced to suspend two key aides on Friday in a bid to end the latest funding controversy.
Farage denied that his party had broken any laws or ‘taken money unreliably’.
But allies acknowledged he has been beaten down by a series of recent controversies and setbacks.
One of them said he had spent the second half of the summer thinking about his political future. He is said to be ‘furious’ about the impact on his family. Two family members have had their bank accounts frozen because of their relationship with him. Others are said to have faced security threats and media interference.
A source close to Mr Farage denied he had considered ‘walking away’ but acknowledged he had considered his future.
“Like everyone else, he sometimes takes stock of his life,” the source said. ‘You cannot emphasize enough how disturbing the murder of Ann Widdecombe has been and there are other security incidents which are not in the public domain and which are very serious.
‘The impact on his family is also very real and has become much worse and that is difficult to deal with. But he won’t run away.’
Asked whether he thought Farage was about to throw in the towel, former reform donor Arron Banks said: ‘I don’t think so. That’s not Nigel.’
Under pressure: Nigel Farage faced more questions over reform funding as party’s annual conference got underway
Mr Farage shot this summer with close assistant Dan Jukes, who he now describes as a ‘contractor’
Reform’s head of policy, James Orr, and long-serving Farage aide Dan Jukes, resigned on Friday following claims by Channel 4 News that Reform was prepared to accept funding from a US company for three polls it commissioned earlier this year at a cost of £32,500.
Both men were secretly filmed discussing the scheme, which experts have warned could breach electoral law.
Rival parties have also asked police to investigate separate allegations that the two men discussed financing a £500,000 donation from a fake American businessman through an undercover reporter posing as his British son. The plan, which was also discussed on camera with Mr Farage, appeared designed to circumvent a ban on foreign donations.
Reform insisted it had done nothing wrong. But the controversy overshadowed the party’s annual conference in Birmingham and threatens to hamper reforms on further issues for months.
The decision to throw Mr Jukes under the bus raised eyebrows among senior reform officials. He is one of Mr Farage’s closest aides. He told undercover staff he expected to become the tenth chief of staff if Reform wins the next election.
The reform leader has previously said Jukes is “like a son to me”, but described him on Friday as a “contractor”.
Mr Farage rejected questions about his own involvement in the controversy, saying he had no idea anything was untoward when he met the fake donors over an oyster and champagne lunch.
“I was in the middle of a midterm election,” he said. “I was told to go meet these people. I was told they had a global family trust, headquartered in London.
‘If you look at this video, I asked the question: ‘is this all clear, has this been legally checked?’ I am not an expert in how family trusts work. I didn’t think about it for a second. It was just one of those things.”
He said Mr Jukes was not qualified to handle donations and accused him of ‘problematic casual pub talk’.
Foreign companies are not a permitted source of funding for parties, including payments for studies and research, and accepting donations from them could constitute a criminal offense.
An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: ‘We are considering all relevant information, in accordance with our regulatory duties, and we are liaising with the Met Police.’
The watchdog said any possible attempt to circumvent checks on donations should be considered by police.
Although Channel Four broadcast the allegations, the undercover films were carried out by the US group Verbatim Investigations, set up by the Center for Climate Reporting.
Reform MP Suella Braverman said the investigation was “just another example of extreme climate activists posing as journalists trying to smear reform.”
Mr Jukes said: “This was the capture of foreign-funded climate change activists over an extended period of almost a year.
“I strongly deny that I have done anything wrong, but have withdrawn from politics to clear my name.”
Chairman of Reform UK and Ashfield MP Lee Anderson said there was ‘no chance’ of Mr Orr and Mr Jukes returning to the party.
But Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice, MP for Boston and Skegness, did not rule out the possibility and said ‘let’s wait and see’.
Reform announced on Friday morning after the broadcast that it had started an investigation.
A spokesperson said: ‘Both individuals involved have resigned from their positions pending the outcome of the investigation.
‘The party believes it is important that the investigation can be carried out independently and unbiased.’
