Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that too much pressure on Nigel Farage’s finances could encourage his supporters to think it is an establishment attack.
Speaking on GB News, he said: “I think Nigel Farage has been one of the most important political figures on the right of politics of my active political lifetime.
“We wouldn’t have got Brexit without his decade-long campaigning, and he’s been good at keeping the Tory party honest; reminding us that we can’t take our right wing for granted, and pushing for some of those things that Conservatives believe in.
“He’s made life a little bit more difficult for the soggy Lib Dem-pointing lefties, who the Tory party has rather too many of, or did in the past.
“But at the moment he seems to be in a little difficulty. Having previously been very good at having his finger on the pulse of the nation he’s running into difficulties over declarations.
“First of all £5 million from Chrisopher Harborne, a man who makes a lot of money out of a perfectly legitimate business, out of crypto currencies, and who has made a donation to help Nigel with his security.
“And then support from somebody who is known as ‘Posh George’, George Cottrell, who unfortunately has a criminal conviction, has been in prison in a federal penitentiary in the United States for wire fraud, that’s quite serious.
“But the issue is not whether Cottrell is a good or a bad man, it’s not whether Christopher Harborne is allowed to give money to somebody, his money to whomsoever he chooses, but whether the declarations have been correctly made.
“And here you get into some difficulties, because it won’t surprise you to know I’ve read the requirements for declaration, and they do have an opt-out.
“The opt-out is if the thing has nothing to do with standing for Parliament or with party politics, or if it’s purely personal.
“And Nigel argues that at the time he got this support, he was not a politician, he wasn’t intending to stand for parliament, he had given up being an active politician and had become a media personality, a celebrity. He was doing jungle stuff and things like that.
“And the question is, what happens now, and does Nigel become a martyr, or does this undermine his credibility with his supporters?
“The amounts of money are large. The sleaze around Posh George is significant. A convicted criminal matters in a way that an honest businessman doesn’t.
“The declarations could lead, if they find against him, to a suspension from the House of Commons. If it’s beyond 14 days, there could be a recall, and if there were to be a recall, a by-election in Clacton.
“Now this is where Nigel is saying this is an establishment, a blob, set up. They’re trying to get rid of me, and if they push too hard, I think people will believe him.
“Those who are opposing him must be very careful: if they push too hard they will find that they reignite his support rather than undermining it. He will become a martyr.
“So those who wish to see him gone should be careful of what they wish for.”