Exclusive: HMRC conducts scoping exercise into Reform UK backer ‘Posh George’ Cottrell’s income from business and wealth
The finances of one of Nigel Farage’s key confidants are being examined by the UK’s tax and revenue authorities amid questions over his income from wealth and business activities, the Guardian understands.
The scoping exercise by HMRC is said to be focused on tax residency and the business affairs of George Cottrell, whom Reform UK’s leader Farage has described as “like a son to me”.
Known as “Posh George”, Cottrell, 31, leads an expensive lifestyle, frequently travelling around the world and regularly using a £4m house in one of the wealthiest areas of west London.
Cottrell has emerged as a senior figure within Reform’s leadership and supporter network at a time when the party is surging ahead in the polls.
