The Labour Party reported an alleged Russian-linked hack of Nigel Farage’s phone and bank data to the Metropolitan Police on May 29, 2026 [1].

This development raises concerns about foreign interference in British politics and the security of high-profile political figures. The report follows a failure by Farage, the leader of Reform UK, to report the incident to security officials himself [1], [2].

Labour chair Anna Turley coordinated the report to both the Metropolitan Police and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) [1], [3]. According to Labour, Moscow-linked actors accessed the private data of Farage and leaked information concerning a £5 million donation [1], [4].

The investigation seeks to determine how the data was accessed and whether the leak was a coordinated effort by foreign intelligence services to influence domestic political narratives. The reported breach involves not only mobile device data, but also financial records [2].

However, the validity of the hack has been questioned. An ex-National Cyber Security Centre chief said the claim that a Russian hack was responsible for the leak of the gift information is without any merit [1].

The Metropolitan Police and the NCSC are now tasked with verifying the digital footprint of the alleged breach. This process involves analyzing the leaked data to see if it matches patterns associated with known Russian cyber-operations, a task complicated by the delay in the initial report [1], [3].

“Labour reported an alleged Russian-linked hack of Nigel Farage’s phone and bank data”

The incident highlights a growing tension between political parties over the handling of cybersecurity threats and foreign influence. By reporting the hack on behalf of a political opponent, Labour is positioning the issue as a matter of national security rather than a private data breach, while the conflicting views from former security officials suggest a potential dispute over whether the 'hack' was a genuine state-sponsored attack or a convenient narrative to explain a leak.