George Cottrell: Who is the mastermind and convicted felon in the Farage scandal?

According to The Sunday Times, In 2023, Cottrell put Farage in touch with Jack Anderton, a 25-year-old right-wing politician from Liverpool, to help him with his social media work, particularly on Tik Tok – where Farage’s presence was high.

Cottrell reportedly pays Anderton £55,000 a year.

Later that year, Cottrell helped Farage pay £1.5 million to appear on I’m Famous…, the newspaper reported, and Farage began to have a security guard consisting mainly of veteran soldiers and drivers.

With Farage set to stand as Reform UK’s candidate in the 2024 general election and becoming party leader, he began traveling the country – often with Cottrell by his side.

One such occasion was when Farage campaigned in Clacton, Essex, where a milkshake was thrown at him.

Around this time, the Sunday Times reported that Cottrell began renting a flat near Buckingham Palace, paying tens of thousands of pounds a month for it, and it is understood that Farage was allowed to stay.

In the year 4 July 2024 Farage is elected as MP for Clayton.

He then added a £9,253 trip to Belgium in April 2024, donated by Cottrell, and later a £15,276 gift from Cottrell for a US domestic flight in December 2024.

No other support from Cottrell is listed in the member’s financial needs record.

Cottrell is now reportedly begging the US President for a pardon. He also recently co-authored a book, How to Defeat Money, which he says is a guide for law enforcement, prosecutors and policymakers.

A spokesman for Farage said: “Given that the newspaper supported the Labor Party at the last general election, it is no surprise that the Sunday Times chose to publish this baseless and fabricated story, covering a period when even Nigel Farage was not an active politician or an elected politician.

“Contrary to the tone of the story, no rules of Parliament were broken.”