Politics
Labour chair to Farage: report your so-called Russian hack to the authorities, or I will
Labour chair Anna Turley has issued an ultimatum to Nigel Farage: he has 24 hours to report his claim to have been a victim of a Russian hack to security services. If not, Turley plans to do it for him.
It’s “in the public and national interest” to make sure that a possible attack by a foreign state is investigated properly, according to the letter Turley sent to the Reform leader.
Farage needs to sound the espionage alarms
On 23 May, Farage claimed that counter-espionage experts employed by Reform had found proof that Russian hackers used spear phishing to break into his bank accounts, phone, and email. In the Mail, a Reform source stated that the alleged cyber-attack:
bore all the sophisticated hallmarks of a nation state actor using destabilisation techniques in the run-up to this month’s local elections.
However, Farage’s ‘haters’ mused that the ‘Russian hack’ could in fact be a clever ruse to distract public attention from the Reform leaders £5m ‘gift’ from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. According to Farage, only four people were actually aware of generous non-donation – so obviously, it must have been a hack.
The parliamentary standards commissioner has since stated that he’s investigating Farage for a potential breach of the members’ code of conduct in failing to declare the £5m when he re-entered politics a couple of months later.
However, on 25 May, the Guardian published comments for ex-national cybersecurity chief Ciaran Martin, who held that Farage’s wild claims could have massive repercussions for the UK’s policies on Russia. If, that is, they weren’t a load of old rubbish. Martin explained that:
It is a very, very serious thing to allege. It would be a national security issue. If it is true, the government should be in emergency session in COBR [Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms] right now considering their response to the most serious Russian intervention in internal British affairs for years.
He also highlighted that Moscow-linked agents don’t exactly leave a little Russian flag to announce that they’d committed international cyber-crimes.
‘Wider implications for Britain’s national security’
Following Martin’s line, Turley wrote to Farage that the alleged phishing attack:
would constitute a serious cybercrime and a potential hostile-state operation directed at the leader of a British political party.
The Labour chair also told Farage to explain why exactly Harborne ‘gifted’ him the £5m. The Reform leader has spent weeks ducking interviews, avoiding hard questions about the oh-so-generous donation. Sorry, sorry – it was a non-political present, wasn’t it?
Previously, however, he claimed the gift was for ‘security’. Harborne, you see, had witnessed someone throw a milkshake at Farage, and clearly thought £5m was a proportionate response. Later, the party leader changed his story, calling the money a ‘reward’ for all of his Brexit campaigning.
In her letter, Turley stated that:
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.
It is therefore essential that any evidence of hostile-state hacking or foreign interference is placed in the hands of the proper authorities, so that it can be fully and independently investigated.
With that in mind, please can you urgently confirm whether you have reported the alleged hacking of your phone, email and bank accounts to the police and/or to the relevant security services, including the National Cyber Security Centre?
On 25 May, the Guardian reported its understanding that Farage had failed to notify the NCSC about the supposed Moscow-linked cyber attack.
‘It has been reported,’ honest
Turley finished up with her ultimatum:
If we do not receive confirmation within 24 hours that this matter has been reported to the police, the Labour party will, in the public and national interest, report the matter ourselves to the police and the relevant national security authorities, on the basis of your public statements and the published reports.
However, Reform was quick to reassure the Labour chair that her assistance wasn’t needed. A spokesperson for the far-right party said:
It has been reported to the relevant authorities. It would be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing.
That’s terribly convenient, isn’t it? All it took was somebody reminding Farage that his failure to report the non-fictional hack made him look like he was lying through his teeth, and hey presto – report submitted.
Of course, we’re sure that Reform will be able to provide proof of their reporting, should Turley ask for it. The party for far-right incompetents and Tory rejects definitely wouldn’t just double down on an obvious lie, now would they?
Featured image via Getty/Ryan Jenkinson
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