Keir Starmer has humorously targeted Reform UK during his final PMQs of 2025, poking fun at the party’s former leader in Wales for accepting Russian bribes. The Prime Minister first wished a Merry Christmas to those in Westminster before turning his attention to Nigel Farage’s party.
In a lively moment in the Commons, Starmer advised Reform members, “If mysterious men from the East bearing gifts show up, it’s best to report it to the police this time.” The comment sparked laughter among MPs, with even Reform’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, joining in animatedly. Farage, visibly displeased about his speaking time at PMQs, was not among his fellow MPs but was seen disapprovingly shaking his head from the public gallery.
The joke comes in light of Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform in Wales, receiving a 10-and-a-half-year prison sentence for accepting bribes to promote pro-Russia views in the European Parliament. Gill, who previously served as an MEP for UKIP and the Brexit Party before leading Reform in Wales, resigned after an unsuccessful bid in the 2021 Senedd election.
Gill, 52, from Anglesey, North Wales, was found to have received at least £40,000 from former Ukrainian MP Oleg Voloshyn, described as a “pawn” of the Russian security services by the US Government. In response to Gill’s conviction, Starmer has initiated an investigation into foreign financial interference in British politics, condemning the case as a “stain on our democracy.”
Communities Secretary Steve Reed labeled Gill’s actions as supporting a hostile state responsible for various atrocities, emphasizing the need to address such misconduct. While Farage dismissed probing Russian influences within Reform, he welcomed a broader UK-wide investigation, acknowledging the current doubts surrounding political affiliations.
