Pressure grows over £885,000 home purchase
Nigel Farage has been told to “stump up some answers” over his girlfriend’s purchase of a four-bedroom home in his Clacton constituency.
It emerged on Sunday that he had previously said that his partner Laure Ferrari came to stay with him in 2017 – before they were in a relationship – as she needed somewhere to stay “that wouldn’t cost her any money”.
In 2014, she told Euractiv, a Brussels publication, that she had started working as a waitress in Strasbourg “to make ends meet”, according to the Sunday Times. She met the Reform leader while working in a restaurant and later got a job in his European Parliament office.
The Mirror revealed that Mr Farage’s partner bought the property in his constituency, despite him saying in November: “I have bought a house in Clacton.” She paid standard stamp duty rates on it as it is her only home. Mr Farage, who has a £3million property empire, would have paid an additional 5% if he had bought it – around £44,000.
He has since said he misspoke when he said he was the one who bought the house. He has also denied lending Ms Ferrari the money, saying: “She comes from a very successful French family and she can afford it herself.”
But a BBC probe found no evidence that Ms Ferrari and her family have the funds to buy the house mortgage-free. There is no mortgage registered which would mean she paid cash for the property.
Mr Farage has said he commissioned a KC to provide tax advice to prove he had done everything right after facing scrutiny over his arrangements following his criticism of Angela Rayner for underpaying stamp duty on her seaside flat.
Mr Farage’s solicitors, Grosvenor Law, previously told us they had received written advice from a leading tax lawyer, insisting there is “no basis to suggest there has been any improper avoidance or evasion of tax” over the house purchase.
A Labour spokesperson said: ” Nigel Farage repeatedly misled his constituents and the British public about buying a home in his constituency, he simply cannot get his story straight. People in Clacton deserve to know why their MP is giving them the run-around.”
His spokesman said: “Laure Ferrari is the sole legal and beneficial owner of the property. It belongs solely to Laure and was purchased with funds which belong to her. All taxes were properly paid. Nigel has no financial interest in the property whatsoever.”