Reform asks NCA to investigate leaks of private financial information

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Reform asks NCA to investigate leaks of private financial informationImage source, EPAByJack FenwickPolitical correspondentPublished4 minutes agoReform UK Deputy leader Richard Tice has written to the boss of the National Crime Agency (NCA) asking if he will investigate whether the body is responsible for leaking his private financial information to the media. Payments made to his organisations were flagged to the NCA as part of its Suspicious Activity Reports programme, something Tice says he only became aware of when he was contacted by the Guardian newspaper. Reform UK believe the paper's information is likely to have come from the NCA.

A spokesperson for the agency said "The NCA does not confirm or deny the receipt of suspicious activity reports (SARs), nor comment on how any SAR is used. "SARs are confidential and breaching that confidentiality risks committing a tipping off offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act. "As first reported by the Telegraph,, external Tice's company Tisun Investment received a loan of £80,000 from George Cottrell, a close ally of Reform leader Nigel Farage, in late 2024.

The Details

A think tank owned by Tice, called Britain Means Business, also received a £1m donation from Cotrell's mother Fiona in June 2024. Data from the Electoral Commission shows, external that Britain Means Business donated £500,000 to Reform UK in the same month. The NCA was notified about the payments as part of the SARs programme, which alerts law enforcement to potential instances of money laundering.

In 2024/25, 866,616 cases were flagged. It's understood the NCA often makes information in SARs reports available to police forces and other organisations involved in their investigations. Cottrell is at the centre of a political row after the Sunday Times reported he had supplied Farage with support including security and social media staff in the year before he became an MP.

Under parliamentary rules, newly elected MPs have to declare gifts or benefits, received in the 12 months before their election that relate to their "parliamentary or political activities". However, there is an exemption for gift and benefits that are "purely personal". Reform has argued that Farage did not breach the guidelines by not declaring the support from Cottrell because the support was provided in a "purely personal capacity".

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The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.