Britain’s parliamentary ethics watchdog has opened an investigation into Richard Tice, deputy leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, over allegations that he failed to declare a potential conflict of interest during a debate concerning Israel, British media reported Monday.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards confirmed that it opened the investigation into Tice on July 28 but did not disclose its subject.
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Richard Tice, left, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage at a party conference last year
(Photo: Oli SCARFF / AFP)
Tice, who like Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is a vocal supporter of Israel, said the inquiry concerned a complaint arising from a parliamentary debate about the country. Such debates allow British lawmakers to raise issues of concern and receive responses from government ministers.
In footage from the debate that Tice posted on Facebook last month, he strongly defended commercial and scientific cooperation with Israel amid calls for boycotts from lawmakers on the British left.
“We should celebrate the extraordinary genius and impact of Israeli scientists, entrepreneurs and people specializing in medical research and AI applications, the work they do and the innovation they create, whether they are in the State of Israel or living somewhere else, such as London,” Tice said.
“It has an extraordinarily positive impact on the success and health of us all. And I think that because of that success and genius, we should say: We want more of it.
“I want more innovation. I want more partnerships with brilliant Israeli scientists who can share their knowledge and understanding. I want more Israeli entrepreneurs listing their companies through joint offerings, for example on the London Stock Exchange, rather than elsewhere. I want more Israeli AI experts sharing their knowledge for the benefit of us all.”
Richard Tice
(Photo: REUTERS/Phil Noble)
During the debate, left-wing lawmaker Ayoub Khan asked Tice: “Do you believe we need more AI weapons that Israel has used to shoot children in the genitals in Gaza?”
“The best way to ensure peace is to prepare for war, so that our adversaries respect us,” Tice replied. He then renewed his call for closer cooperation with Israel. “I think Israel has so much to offer as the only democracy in the Middle East, and we should work very closely with it,” he said.
“There is a vast difference, as others have said, between criticizing politicians who may be elected in a democracy or any country, whether Israel or anywhere else, which is entirely legitimate, and criticizing a country.”
In a post on X on Monday, Tice expressed disbelief at the investigation and said it followed a complaint from an anti-Israel lobbying group that he did not name. “I am being investigated because I stood up against antisemitism. You couldn’t make it up,” he wrote.
“The Standards Commissioner is examining a complaint from an antisemitic, anti-Israel lobby over whether I should have declared my interests at the start of a debate on British democracy and Israeli influence.
“The same anti-Israel organization did not report to the commissioner that MP Ayoub Khan failed to declare a substantial donation he received from a pro-Palestinian organization. Very interesting.”
Farage also under investigation as Reform loses polling lead
Tice serves as deputy to Farage in Reform UK, which has made opposition to immigration one of its central causes.
The party had led British opinion polls for more than a year ahead of the next general election, currently expected in 2029. Last week, however, polls were published in which Reform no longer held first place, with the governing Labour Party overtaking it in some surveys following an improvement in its popularity attributed to moves by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
The Israel debate in Britain’s Parliament that prompted an investigation into Reform UK lawmaker Richard Tice
Burnham was appointed last month to replace Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister after the party’s popularity reached historic lows under Starmer. Since taking office two weeks ago, Burnham has focused heavily on Britain’s cost-of-living crisis.
One recent poll by More in Common placed Labour ahead of Reform for the first time since March 2025, with 28% support, up four percentage points from the previous week. Reform fell two points to 24%. British commentators have suggested the rise may be temporary and driven by extensive coverage of Burnham’s arrival in office.
Reform’s decline, however, comes as Farage also faces an investigation by Parliament’s ethics commissioner over political donations. That inquiry centers on a £5 million, or approximately $6.69 million, gift Farage received from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based billionaire and cryptocurrency investor. Critics allege that the gift was not properly declared before the 2024 general election.
Farage says the money was a personal gift used to finance security arrangements and was received before he was elected to the House of Commons. Farage has also been referred to regulators over donations reportedly received from George Cottrell, a cryptocurrency gambling entrepreneur from an aristocratic family who previously served as his adviser and served a prison sentence in the United States for fraud and money laundering.
Farage announces his resignation from Parliament last month. He is also under investigation over a major donation
(Photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The Reform leader says the investigations are part of a campaign of political persecution against him by the media and the “liberal establishment.” He resigned from Parliament last month in order to contest his seat again, saying the move would allow voters to decide his political future. “This will be an election of the people against the establishment,” he said. “I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform UK started.”
The special election in Clacton is scheduled for August 13. The district is considered a conservative stronghold, and Farage is expected to win easily, with the other major parties boycotting the vote and dismissing it as a political stunt and a waste of public money.
‘Operation Fortress’ targets migrant boats
Illegal immigration has returned to the center of British political debate in recent days, partly because of dramatic scenes showing large numbers of Moroccan migrants breaking into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
Like many right-wing politicians in Europe, Farage described the images as a “wake-up call” for Britain. He warned that similar scenes could eventually unfold in Britain unless he leads the government. “Many of these young men, many of whom are dangerous, will make their way to Calais and into our country,” he said, referring to the French city on the English Channel from which migrants regularly attempt to reach Britain by boat.
The arrival of migrants in small boats was one of the principal sources of public frustration with former prime minister Starmer. Last year, the issue fueled widespread protests over the housing of asylum seekers in hotels at taxpayers’ expense. Under Starmer’s relatively tough immigration policy, however, the number of Channel crossings fell over the past year.
Migrant boats in the English Channel. Farage is calling for the military to be deployed
(Photo: REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
According to the BBC, 14,526 migrants arrived by boat from France by the end of July, a drop of 43% from the same period last year. The figure nevertheless remains high, and another 2,000 migrants crossed during Burnham’s first two weeks in office. Burnham has promised to maintain a firm but more moderate immigration policy.
During a visit Sunday to Dover, on the English side of the Channel, he pledged an “uncompromising fight” against migrant boats. Burnham said his government was “changing the entire approach” and would increase the number of enforcement officers targeting smuggling organizations that help migrants cross the Channel.
“People want to see this issue dealt with,” he said, while stressing that legal immigration routes must also remain available. We also need to build a system that offers people safe routes, because that removes the main reason they turn to the gangs.”
Farage, meanwhile, has promised a far tougher approach. On Monday morning, he unveiled a plan he called “Operation Fortress,” under which Britain’s Royal Navy would be deployed to turn migrant boats back toward the French coast.
If implemented, the proposal would likely provoke strong objections from Paris and accusations from human rights groups that Britain was violating international law.