Labour has challenged the declared cost of a private jet journey undertaken by Reform leader Nigel Farage to the Maldives, a trip reportedly linked to a major party donor. Mr. Farage initially registered the two-day round trip at £12,500, later updating this figure to £25,000 in his latest declaration of interests.

The flight was reportedly facilitated by a private jet associated with Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based investor in cryptocurrency and aviation, who has contributed over £12 million to the Reform party.

However, Labour Party Chair Anna Turley MP has disputed this valuation. In a letter sent recently to Mr. Farage, Ms. Turley asserted that the market rate for chartering a private jet of comparable size would be significantly higher than the amount declared. Citing publicly available flight logs, Ms. Turley highlighted that the journey constituted an 11,000-mile round trip, spanning just over 23 hours.

She noted that private jet websites advertise similar aircraft models for charter at rates starting at approximately $11,500 (£8,500) per hour. This calculation, she argued, suggests a potential cost "many times more" than the declared sum. Ms. Turley also pointed out that while Mr. Harborne funded the flight, the plane in question and a sister aircraft are reportedly operated by one of his companies. She concluded that the declared value does not appear to reflect typical industry rates for equivalent services. Labour has requested clarification on how Mr. Farage arrived at the stated cost.

Mr. Farage has previously characterized the visit as a humanitarian mission, stating its purpose was to draw attention to the situation of the Chagossians. These families were displaced from the Chagos Islands in the 1960s and are seeking to return. He also publicly opposes the government's decision to cede sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, a move made in compliance with international law, while the UK continues to lease the Diego Garcia military base. Mr. Farage ultimately did not gain permission to reach the Chagos Islands during his trip.

Christopher Harborne is also reportedly linked to another aircraft that transported a group of Chagossian campaigners to Sri Lanka before they continued their journey to the archipelago by boat. Neither Mr. Farage nor the Reform party responded to requests for comment regarding the flight's valuation. Mr. Harborne has similarly not addressed previous inquiries concerning his ownership of the aircraft involved in these trips.