Labour has referred Nigel Farage's alleged phone hack to the Metropolitan police and the National Cyber Security Centre after the Reform UK leader did not make the referrals himself. The move puts the claim, which Farage has linked to a possible Russian-backed intrusion, directly in front of the UK agencies now being asked to decide whether there is anything to investigate.
Anna Turley, Labour's chair, said she had contacted both bodies on Thursday to ensure the suspicions raised by Farage and Reform were properly examined. In a letter to him, she said the allegation had potential wider implications for Britain's national security, the integrity of politics and public confidence in the democratic system. She told Farage: “Quite apart from the implications for you personally, the alleged crime is an incredibly serious one, with potential wider implications for Britain’s national security, the integrity of our politics and public confidence in our democratic system.”
Farage had said hostile actors linked to Russia accessed his data and leaked information about a £5m gift. Reform suggested last month's Guardian revelation that Christopher Harborne had given Farage £5m in 2024 may have come from material taken from his phone, email and bank accounts. The party said last weekend that it believed the information had been obtained by “hostile actors, almost certainly linked to Moscow”.
But the route into official scrutiny is narrower than Reform's public warnings suggested. It was understood by Thursday afternoon that the matter had not been referred to the NCSC, and Farage had not reported it to the Metropolitan police. Labour's contact with the Met did not amount to a formal crime report, and the force said it was unlikely to start an investigation on that basis. The Met was considering reaching out to Farage to ask whether he wanted to make a report.
Reform said it had reported the matter to the relevant authorities, without specifying which ones. A party source said Farage had submitted his phone for forensic analysis by counterespionage experts and that they had concluded it was compromised through a spear phishing attack. The National Cyber Security Centre said it stood ready to support any suspected cyber incident that was reported to it, adding: “Defending democracy is always our priority and we provide a range of expert guidance, support and active cyber defence services to help protect individuals from online attacks.”
The row sits alongside a separate dispute over Harborne's payment, which Farage had previously said covered his security costs before later saying it was a reward for his years of campaigning for Brexit. Parliamentary rules say MPs should declare gifts received in the 12 months before taking office, depending on whether the payment was political or personal. The question now is not whether the accusation has become a political fight — it already has — but whether Farage will finally make the complaint needed for police or cyber investigators to treat it as a case.
