Farage recruits tycoon Nick Candy as Reform UK treasurer

Reform UK has unveiled billionaire spot developer - and erstwhile Conservative donor - Nick Candy arsenic its treasurer, with the occupation of raising large wealth to combat the adjacent wide election.

It is the latest successful a bid of announcements by Nigel Farage's enactment aimed astatine showing it is superior astir winning power.

Candy, who is joined to Australian vocalist and histrion Holly Valance, who besides supports Reform, made his wealth by buying and renovating properties with his member Christian.

The brace were privately educated, and bought their archetypal spot successful London successful 1995, utilizing a £6,000 indebtedness from their grandmother. They person ne'er disclosed their wealth, but describe themselves arsenic "self-made billionaires".

The spot tycoon was adjacent to erstwhile Prime Minister Boris Johnson, donating much than £270,000 to the enactment nether his enactment and attending the then-PM's wedding.

Now helium says Farage could triumph the adjacent wide predetermination - and is promising to rise "tens of millions" for Reform UK, telling journalists helium volition donate a "seven fig sum" of his ain currency arsenic well.

"This state needs alteration and I judge the idiosyncratic to marque that alteration is Nigel Farage and I judge he'll beryllium the adjacent premier curate of this country," helium said arsenic helium was unveiled to the cameras astatine Westminster.

Elon Musk has expressed involvement successful Candy's appointment, amid speculation the billionaire proprietor of X is looking into offering Farage's enactment a ample donation.

Candy said helium and Musk exchanged messages pursuing the announcement connected Tuesday morning, but the caller Reform UK treasurer refused to beryllium drawn connected immoderate negotiations.

When helium was quizzed astir the Donald Trump-supporting tycoon, Farage said: "We don't cognize thing astir Elon Musk different than helium is supportive of our position."

But helium joked: "If radical connection america wealth legally, we'll instrumentality it."

Businesses oregon individuals person to beryllium registered successful the UK to donate to a governmental party, raising questions astir however the South African-born US national could springiness wealth to Reform.

Farage denies Reform UK is becoming a enactment of millionaires and billionaires, saying the fundraising thrust is astir getting connected an "even fiscal footing" with the different main parties.

"If we bash that we volition execute bonzer things," helium added.

As good arsenic cash, Reform UK has been gaining invaluable contacts successful Westminster.

Last week erstwhile Johnson advisor Tim Montgomerie, a seasoned Tory commentator who founded the influential Conservative Home website, announced helium was defecting to the party, citing migration arsenic a argumentation nonaccomplishment helium could not forgive.

Farage has a patchy grounds erstwhile it comes to high-profile signings. In his erstwhile beingness arsenic UKIP person helium managed to autumn retired with figures specified arsenic TV property Robert Kilroy-Silk, Tory defector Douglas Carswell and erstwhile EU auditor Marta Andreasen, soon aft unveiling them amid overmuch fanfare.

But helium has besides managed to pull affluent backers successful the past, specified arsenic security tycoon Arron Banks, who bankrolled his Brexit campaign.

He is positioning Reform UK arsenic the enactment for voters bare for alteration - a level Labour won a landslide predetermination triumph connected conscionable implicit 5 months ago.

But Sir Keir Starmer's determination to marque hard and unpopular decisions astatine the commencement of his premiership, on with a fig of unforced errors, has seen Labour's popularity plummet, arsenic Reform's has risen.

Reform UK sits comfortably successful 3rd spot up of the Liberal Democrats successful nationalist sentiment polls, and is narrowing the spread with the 2 main parties.

The fledgling enactment proved incapable of transforming the size of its enactment into seats astatine Westminster successful July.

The Liberal Democrats won 3.5 cardinal votes and 72 MPs done their highly-targeted campaign, whereas Reform UK picked up conscionable implicit 4 cardinal votes, but lone 5 seats.

Farage is connected a ngo to larn from the Lib Dems however to marque Westminster's first-past-the-post voting strategy enactment for his party.

Reform UK's caller multi-millionaire president Zia Yusuf has taken connected the occupation of "professionalising" the enactment - nary casual task erstwhile it has attracted truthful overmuch contention successful its abbreviated beingness with its prime of candidates successful particular.

Farage has faced questions implicit James McMurdock, the Reform MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, who has a spent condemnation aft assaulting his woman successful 2006.

The enactment has said it was alert of the erstwhile condemnation erstwhile McMurdock was selected arsenic a candidate, and believes "strongly that radical tin alteration their lives".

But Reform UK is pledging to vet candidates much thoroughly up of adjacent year's section elections successful an effort to debar embarrassment.

One people is the caller mayoral spot successful Greater Lincolnshire, wherever erstwhile Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns has been revealed arsenic the party's candidate.

Reform has truthful acold been seen mostly arsenic a menace to the Conservatives - but connected the time aft the wide election, Farage made their strategy wide erstwhile helium declared: "We're coming for Labour".

The large parties volition beryllium watching Reform UK's caller flurry of announcements nervously - and wondering whether they tin support this momentum up.