A FORMER Welsh MEP who once served as Nigel Farage’s senior lieutenant in Wales has been jailed for ten-and-a-half years after admitting a series of bribery offences linked to a covert pro-Russian influence campaign inside the European Parliament.

Nathan Gill, aged fifty-two, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday where Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb described his conduct as a “persistent and sophisticated abuse of trust” that struck at the heart of democratic processes. Gill pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery earlier this year.

The offences centred on a secret arrangement with Ukrainian politician Oleg Voloshyn, a figure aligned with Kremlin-backed interests. WhatsApp messages recovered from Gill’s phone revealed coded discussions about payments, scripts for parliamentary speeches and requests to “co-opt” other MEPs to promote Russian-aligned narratives.

Gill, a father-of-seven from Anglesey, served as a UKIP MEP between 2014 and 2020 before following Nigel Farage into the Brexit Party and later becoming the leader of Reform UK in Wales. He was arrested after counter-terrorism officers stopped him at Manchester Airport in September 2021, two days before he was due to fly to Moscow for a conference. His mobile phone was seized during a border check, and investigators uncovered a detailed message history stretching back to 2018.

Scripts, payments and a Kremlin-linked oligarch

Prosecutors told the court that Gill repeatedly acted on instructions from Voloshyn, including reading pre-prepared contributions in European Parliament debates, supporting pro-Russian broadcasters, and arranging a high-profile appearance in Strasbourg for Viktor Medvedchuk, a powerful Ukrainian oligarch whose daughter counts Vladimir Putin as her godfather.

Messages referred to “Christmas gifts” and “postcards”, which prosecutors said were code for cash. In one exchange, Gill sent Voloshyn a YouTube clip of his parliamentary remarks, adding that “V should be pleased by this” — a reference, the court heard, to Medvedchuk.

Mark Heywood KC, prosecuting, said the payments were “to the financial benefit of both himself and others” and represented a sustained effort to smuggle Russian-aligned talking points into the heart of European democracy. He said Gill had “abused a position of power or trust” for personal gain.

Judge: ‘Harm inflicted is profound’

Sentencing Gill to 10 years and six months, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said the former MEP had wilfully betrayed the responsibilities of his office.

“This offending was persistent rather than a momentary lapse in judgement,” she said. “You abused a position of significant authority and trust, and the harm inflicted is profound.”

The judge said Gill had offered “scant personal mitigation” and highlighted the seriousness of using unsuspecting British MEPs to lend legitimacy to the operation.

Defence accepts ‘inevitable’ prison term

Peter Wright KC, defending, said Gill recognised he had “let down” colleagues, friends and his own family, leaving them facing an uncertain future. Wright acknowledged that a long prison sentence was “inevitable” but argued that the “unique” nature of the case justified some leniency.

Throughout the hearing, Gill remained largely expressionless, though he briefly waved to family members in the gallery before sentencing resumed.

No evidence Farage knew

Police emphasised there is no evidence Nigel Farage knew of Gill’s bribery activities. Farage has previously said he was “stunned” by the revelations and condemned Gill’s behaviour “in every possible way”.

The case, however, is politically damaging for Reform UK and comes at a time of heightened scrutiny over Russian influence in Europe.

A rare conviction for foreign interference

Senior counter-terrorism officers said the case “goes to the heart of our democratic values” and warned that attempts by foreign states to manipulate political debate in Europe remain a “constant threat”.

Gill will serve his sentence in a UK prison.

Voloshyn, who is outside the jurisdiction, has not been charged.

‘Serious questions about Reform UK’

Responding to Nathan Gill’s sentencing, Mick Antoniw, Welsh Labour MS for Pontypridd, who is half-Ukrainian, said: “Today’s sentence once again raises serious questions on what Reform UK knew about this scandal and what influence Nathan Gill had on the party in Wales.

“Reform’s Welsh leader was seemingly putting the interests of Russia before the interests of Wales, and the people of Wales deserve to know what they are voting for. Welsh Labour will not stop asking these questions.”

Ed Davey said: “A traitor was at the very top of Reform UK, aiding and abetting a foreign adversary. Nigel Farage and his party are a danger to national security.

“Nigel Farage himself was previously paid to be on Putin’s TV channel, Russia Today, and said he was the world leader he admires the most. We must all ask – where do his loyalties really lie?”

“We need a full investigation into Russian interference in our politics.”

This is not the first time Gill’s career has been overshadowed by controversy. In 2014, shortly after first being elected as a UKIP MEP, he faced criticism over his family’s former care businesses in Hull, which had employed large numbers of migrant workers despite UKIP’s public campaign to tighten immigration rules. Gill defended the practice at the time, saying the sector struggled to recruit local staff and that the work was “tough with a high turnover”. The episode drew accusations of hypocrisy during a period when UKIP’s immigration rhetoric was under intense national scrutiny.