Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, is under investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog over a possible failure to declare an interest.
The watchdog did not provide details of the allegation aside from saying the case was opened on ۲۸ July and would be conducted by the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg.
As a matter of procedure, the watchdog never publicly releases details of an allegation being investigated until it has published its conclusion.
Tice swiftly claimed on X that the inquiry related to a complaint over “whether I should have referenced my register of interests at the start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence”.
Without naming the group he was referring to, he wrote on X: “Contrary to garbage in media: Standards Commissioner is considering complaint by anti semitic anti Israel lobby group over whether I should have referenced my register of interests at start of a debate on UK democracy and Israeli influence.”
A Labour party spokesperson said: “The Reform sleaze scandals continue to pile up. Richard Tice is now under investigation by the standards commissioner, on top of his firm avoiding paying £۶۰۰,۰۰۰ in tax. This means that both Reform’s leader and deputy leader now have standards investigations hanging over them.
“With police probes, Nigel Farage’s secret £۵m gift, and reports of funding from a convicted fraudster, it’s clear Reform think the rules just don’t apply to them.”
Greenberg had also been investigating Farage, Reform UK’s leader, over a £۵m gift he received in April ۲۰۲۴ from the Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, first revealed by the Guardian.
That investigation was paused after Farage resigned as an MP last month and triggered a byelection for his Clacton seat in which he will stand again. The contest, in which all the other major political parties have refused to participate,, leaves Farage taking on ۳۳ other candidates including Count Binface and Howling Laud Hope of the Official Monster Raving Looney party
The Metropolitan police are also investigating payments to Reform UK, assessing payments made to the party via a company controlled by Tice.
The police investigation came after the Guardian revealed last month that Fiona Cottrell made a £۱m transfer to Britain Means Business, shortly before donations were made and about half of the funds were passed to Reform UK. Cottrell’s son George has close links to Farage.
Last week, parliament’s standards watchdog declined to investigate a complaint made against Tice over an undeclared loan of £۷۸,۱۰۰ he received in December ۲۰۲۴, months after he was elected as the MP for Boston and Skegness.
The commissioner told the Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart that he would not take further action on the basis that her complaint had not provided “sufficient evidence” to justify an investigation into a potential breach of conduct.
Tice had said the loan was a corporate one, to one of his companies, which he said was not declarable. “I have a number of corporate loans in my companies. None of them are declarable. They are to do with my property business activities, not to do with politics,” Tice said, adding that his shareholdings and directorships were fully declared.
In January last year, Tice gave £۶۱۳,۰۰۰ to Reform via Tisun Investments in an unusual case of an MP donating to their own party. A month later, a sum of £۶۵۵,۰۰۰ was paid into Tisun’s account in what was described by Tice as an overpayment for a property purchase.
