Farage says he wasn't listening in donor meeting as Reform conference closes

Nigel Farage has claimed he "wasn't even listening" during a meeting at the centre of Reform UK's donations scandal, as the party's conference in Birmingham drew to a close amid continued controversy.

The Guardian and the Mirror both report Farage's remark about the meeting, while the party leader told GB News he expects "many more investigations" into Reform amid the fallout. The conference also gave a platform to lobbyists funded by a US pro-tobacco group, according to the Mirror - a curious choice for a party positioning itself against the "nanny state".

The "wasn't listening" defence is an old one in British politics, and rarely believed. It concedes presence while disclaiming knowledge - the awkward middle ground that satisfies nobody. The real question is not what Farage heard but what the meeting was for, and whether the donor expected something in return. That is the thing an investigation answers, not a post-conference quote.

Farage also used the platform to warn that Britain is "going bust" without tax cuts and growth, and revealed Reform is eighty per cent ready to fight a snap election. The Daily Express reports he has issued a "bombshell resignation statement" and named a likely successor, though the context of that claim is unclear from the headline alone.

What to watch: whether any formal investigation into the donations materialises, and whether Farage's "many more" prediction proves correct or pre-emptive.