Former leader of Reform UK in Wales Nathan Gill, arrives at the The Old Bailey, London, Friday Nov. 21, 2025. (James Manning/PA via AP)Reform UK’s former Wales leader Nathan Gill has been jailed for 10 and a half years for taking tens of thousands of pounds in pro-Russian bribes while serving as a Member of the European Parliament.
Gill admitted eight counts of bribery between December 2018 and July 2019 — a period during which prosecutors say he repeatedly delivered Moscow-friendly statements to the media and the European Parliament in exchange for cash.
At the Old Bailey, Justice Cheema-Grubb said Gill had “abused a position of significant authority and trust” and allowed greed and political ambition to drive “a grave betrayal of the electorate”.
Who is Nathan Gill?
Gill served in the European Parliament for UKIP between 2014 and 2018, when he joined Farage’s Brexit Party, and held his seat until the United Kingdom left the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020.
Throughout his political career, Gill positioned himself as a Eurosceptic voice closely aligned with Nigel Farage, though Reform UK had expelled him before his arrest. His reputation collapsed after investigators uncovered that he had secretly accepted large cash payments from pro-Russian operatives in exchange for delivering Moscow-friendly statements in Europe and the media.
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Allegations against Gill
Commander Dominic Murphy of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said Gill likely accepted at least £40,000 and had even offered to introduce other MEPs for potential bribery. Detectives believe individuals linked to the operation had direct connections to Vladimir Putin.
Investigators found that Gill’s statements, often scripted and sent to him in advance, were directed by Oleg Voloshyn, a sanctioned pro-Russian figure and former Ukrainian official. The arrangement emerged after counter-terrorism police stopped Gill at Manchester Airport in 2021, uncovering WhatsApp messages detailing a reward-based scheme for pushing Moscow’s narratives — including on Ukraine. Police later found bundles of euros and dollars at his home in Anglesey.
While Farage is not under investigation, political rivals have demanded transparency about Russian influence within Reform UK.
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Defence minister Al Carns called Gill’s conduct “a disgrace”, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey labelled him “a traitor” and claimed Reform UK posed “a danger to national security”. Plaid Cymru’s Liz Saville Roberts urged clarity on how far Russian money penetrated Farage’s circle.
Reform UK, which had previously expelled Gill, welcomed the verdict, calling his behaviour “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable”. Farage himself said Gill was a “bad apple” and insisted he was “shocked” by the scale of the wrongdoing.
