Reform's former Welsh leader charged with bribery
Reform UK's former leader in Wales has been charged with eight counts of bribery following an investigation by anti-terror detectives.
Nathan Gill, 51, who previously served as a Brexit Party MEP and leader of the Welsh division of UK Independence Party (Ukip), is due to appear at Westminster magistrates' court on Monday to face the allegations.
He has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery under the Criminal Law Act 1977 and eight counts of bribery under the Bribery Act 2010, according to the Metropolitan Police.
It follows an investigation by detectives from the force's counter-terrorism command, with the charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Mr Gill was announced as Reform's leader in Wales on X, formerly Twitter, in March 2021, ahead of the Senedd elections in May.
There is some confusion over how long he held the role. Local media reported that he left Reform shortly after failing to win a seat in the Welsh parliament.
A Reform source insisted Mr Gill was never technically a member because the party had no formal members at that stage. Formerly known as the Brexit Party, it officially became Reform UK in January 2021.
However, he was one of the party's most high-profile figures in Wales ahead of the Senedd election and ran as an official Reform candidate.
Mr Gill previously served as a member of the European Parliament between 2014 and 2020, representing the Brexit Party, Reform's predecessor, for the latter part, and Ukip earlier on, with a short spell as an independent between the two.
He also led the Welsh wing of Ukip between 2014 and 2016 and briefly served in the Welsh parliament between 2016 and 2017.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'The investigation has been led by detectives from the Met's counter-terrorism command and a man was previously interviewed under caution on 3 March 2022 in connection with bribery allegations.
'Further enquiries were carried out by officers and after authorisation by the Crown Prosecution Service Counter-Terrorism Division, the man was subsequently charged as above.'
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