A former key figure in the UK’s right-wing populist party, Reform UK, has been sentenced to ten and a half years in prison for accepting cash bribes in exchange for making pro-Russian statements while serving in the European Parliament. Nathan Gill, 52, received his sentence at London’s Central Criminal Court on Friday after admitting to accepting tens of thousands of pounds in bribes over an eight-month period from December 2018 to July 2019.
The court heard that Gill referred to the payments, which were described as “Christmas gifts,” and used them to deliver pro-Russian speeches and statements both to the European Parliament and to pro-Russian media outlets in Ukraine. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, during sentencing, emphasized that Gill’s actions were “persistent, rather than an isolated lapse of judgment.”
The investigation into Gill’s activities began when he was stopped at Manchester Airport on September 13, 2021, as he prepared to depart for Russia. Authorities examined his phone and discovered a series of messages exchanged between Gill and Oleg Voloshyn, a pro-Russian Ukrainian national and former government official in Kyiv, who has been sanctioned by the UK since 2022. In one of the messages, Voloshyn offered Gill 5,000 euros (approximately $5,700) as compensation for comments made on a pro-Russian news channel, 112 Ukraine.
Following the European elections in 2019, Voloshyn further indicated that Gill would be “fairly rewarded” for bringing colleagues to a presentation at the Strasbourg parliament given by pro-Kremlin politician Viktor Medvedchuk, concerning the conflict in the Donbas region. Gill responded affirmatively, stating he could “drag a few to attend.”
Gill was involved with Reform UK as the Leader of Reform UK Wales from March to May 2021 and led the party’s campaign in the 2021 Welsh Parliament elections. He is no longer affiliated with the party. At the time of his offenses, he was a member of the European Parliament, having been elected as part of the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
Current Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has publicly condemned Gill’s activities, asserting he had no knowledge of them. Dan Jarvis, Britain’s Security Minister, characterized Gill’s actions as a “betrayal of our country, our people, and our national security,” noting that he exploited his public office to promote Russian interests over those of the UK in exchange for financial gain.
