Reform UK receives 100,000 donation from design firm that faced winding-up petition

"Nigel Farage's Reform UK has received a 100,000 donation from a design and architecture firm that faced a winding-up petition from the tax authorities earlier this year. The party, which is leading in the polls, has been raising money from a wider range of private sources in recent months, with its treasurer, Nick Candy, talking of targeting high net worth individuals both in the UK and in low-tax jurisdictions."

"Its current sole owner is listed as a British company director called John Richard Simpson. It describes itself as one of London's leading luxury interior designers but had no contact details on its website until approached by the Guardian through its accountancy firm in Chiswick, and uses stock images to illustrate examples of projects it has worked on in London, from Hampstead Heath to Mayfair."

"The firm had assets of 99,000 and a tax liability of more than 200,000 due within a year when its last accounts were filed for the year ending January 2024, according to Companies House. It has twice been the subject of strike-off attempts by Companies House after late filing of its accounts and was subject to a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs in March this year."

Reform UK received a £100,000 donation in three tranches in June from Interior Design Landscape, a company originally set up in 2013 by a BVI-based firm. The company lists John Richard Simpson as its sole owner and markets itself as a London luxury interior designer while using stock images and previously lacking website contact details. Companies House records show assets of £99,000 and a tax liability exceeding £200,000 for the year ending January 2024. The firm faced two strike-off attempts after late filings and an HMRC winding-up petition in March. Reform UK has been courting high-net-worth donors domestically and in low-tax jurisdictions. Nigel Farage has faced questions over his own tax affairs after his partner purchased his Clacton home, avoiding higher stamp duty; he says the purchase used her funds for security reasons.

Read at www.theguardian.com