Nathan Gill (Image: Getty)
Reform UK’s former leader in Wales has been jailed for 10 and a half years for making pro-Russia remarks in exchange for cash. Nathan Gill led Reform UK and UKIP in Wales and was a Member of the European Parliament, but will now spend the next decade behind bars after taking bribes to support Russia on Ukrainian TV.
The 52-year-old was also found to have taken cash to give pro-Russian statements in Brussels during his time as an MEP. Appearing at The Old Bailey, Gill pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery with Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb concluding that the former politician had “exchanged for the improper execution of your public duties”. Gill was a big figure in UKIP and Reform politics, serving as leader of UKIP Wales between 2014 and 2016. He had a stint in the Brexit Party, before becoming the leader of Reform UK Wales for two months in 2021.
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The judge sentenced Gill to 10 years and six months in prison (Image: PA)
On top of his time in Europe, he had also served a year as a Member of the Senedd in 2016. Counter-terrorism officers believe that Gill amassed at least £40,000 in bribes to vocally support Russia during his time in politics.
When officers searched his home in Wales, they found thousands worth in cash of Euros and Dollars.
They also believed that Gill played a part in trying to introduce other MEPs to the bribery scheme, with some of the individuals involved on the Russian side having direct links to Putin himself.
Mark Heywood KC, prosecuting Gill, named his associate as Oleg Voloshyn, a pro-Russian Ukrainian official who is now sanctioned by the UK.
Pro-Ukraine protesters, including Mick Antoniw of Welsh Labour, gather outside the Old Bailey (Image: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press/Cover Images)
The scandal was first uncovered in 2021 when his WhatsApp messages were found after he was stopped trying to board a flight to Russia from Manchester Airport.
Gill was said to have recited certain lines word for word after being fed through Voloshyn on a reward basis.
The Old Bailey also heard how Gill was paid to appear on 112 Ukraine, a pro-Russian media channel.
While serving as an MEP, the court heard how he was bribed to pose questions to the European parliament, make contact with senior officials at the European Commission as well as putting on events and making certain arrangements.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said: “It appears… greed was his primary motivation. But I think there’s an element of him that had a pro-Russian stance as well, but only he can answer that question, to be honest with you, he never told us that.”
Nathan Gill, MEP for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, arrived at court on Friday morning (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
However, Commander Murphy warned that Voloshyn’s influence may have spread beyond Gill, revealing that they are continuing to investigate a list of MEPs – some from the UK.
He added: “What we do know from the conversations with [Oleg] Voloshyn is that Nathan Gill actually offered his services to contact other MEPs, mostly UK MEPs, to also make statements that might be supportive of a Russian position in Ukraine,” he said.
“I do believe that some of the individuals in this case do have direct connections to Vladimir Putin. And I have no doubt that if we were able to, we could follow this trail and it would lead straight to Moscow.”
Reform UK Wales previously said Gill was no longer a member and police confirmed to Sky News that Nigel Farage has not been part of this investigation.
Former Reform UK Wales Leader Jailed for Making Pro-Russian Remarks for Cash
The former leader of Reform UK in Wales, Nathan Gill, has been jailed for 10 and a half years after admitting that he accepted bribes to make pro-Russian statements while serving as a Member of the European Parliament.
The case has become one of the most serious corruption scandals involving a British politician in recent years, raising questions about foreign interference, the integrity of democratic institutions and the risks created when elected officials accept money in exchange for political influence.
Gill, who is now 53 and from Anglesey, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery relating to conduct between December 2018 and July 2019. At the time, he was an MEP who had originally been elected for UKIP and later became associated with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. He subsequently became leader of Reform UK in Wales and led the party’s campaign for the 2021 Welsh Parliament election.
He is no longer a member of Reform UK.
The payments behind the statements
The case centred on Gill’s relationship with Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian politician associated with pro-Russian politics.
According to prosecutors, Gill agreed to make statements favourable to Russian interests in return for payments.
The communications uncovered by investigators included references to “Christmas gifts”, “postcards” and “5K”, which prosecutors said were coded references to money.
Gill was paid to make statements in the European Parliament and to appear in pro-Russian Ukrainian media, including 112 Ukraine.
The court heard that he sometimes worked from scripts supplied to him.
In one exchange, Voloshyn praised Gill after a parliamentary intervention, telling him that he was an “impressive” speaker and describing him as the perfect orator.
Investigators subsequently established connections between the messages on Gill’s phone and public statements he had made.
Counter Terrorism Policing said its investigation found evidence that Gill had accepted payments in return for statements supporting pro-Russian media outlets in Ukraine. Gill pleaded guilty to the eight bribery offences in September 2025.
The case therefore did not depend solely on political accusations or claims made by opponents.
Gill admitted the criminal offences in court.
How the investigation began
The investigation was uncovered after Gill was stopped at Manchester Airport in September 2021.
Police seized his mobile phone as he attempted to travel to Russia.
The device contained messages between Gill and Voloshyn.
Investigators subsequently searched Gill’s home in North Wales and seized additional electronic material.
Counter Terrorism Policing said the evidence from the devices was compared with publicly available material showing that Gill had made corresponding statements.
The investigation identified eight instances that formed the basis of the bribery charges.
Gill was interviewed under caution in March 2022 but did not answer the questions put to him.
Charges were later authorised following further investigation and consultation with prosecutors.
In September 2025, Gill pleaded guilty to the eight bribery offences.
The case then moved to sentencing at the Old Bailey.
A serious breach of public trust
When Gill was sentenced in November 2025, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb described his conduct as a serious abuse of public trust.
She said Gill had occupied a position of significant authority and had used it for financial and political gain.
The judge also noted that his conduct involved accepting money from foreign nationals, making statements on international issues at their request, using scripted material and encouraging other MEPs to participate in related activities.
The court concluded that the conduct had damaged the integrity of the European Parliament.
Gill was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison. He became the first British politician to be sentenced under the Bribery Act 2010, according to ITV’s report of the case.
The sentence reflected the seriousness with which the court viewed the corruption of an elected representative.
How much money did Gill receive?
The exact total of Gill’s financial benefit was difficult to establish because the payments were made in cash and in separate transactions.
Police and prosecutors initially said that Gill had received at least tens of thousands of pounds.
The Guardian reported that investigators believed he had received at least £30,000, while other evidence presented during the case put the wider financial benefit at approximately £40,000.
A later confiscation hearing in September 2026 established the recoverable benefit at £22,592.41.
Gill was given six months to sell a rental property and pay that amount to the government. If he fails to pay, he faces a further nine months in custody.
The confiscation proceedings demonstrate that the case did not end with the prison sentence.
Authorities have also sought to recover the proceeds connected to the criminal conduct.
Who was Oleg Voloshyn?
Voloshyn was a former Ukrainian parliamentarian who had held government-related positions before entering Ukrainian politics.
Prosecutors described him as a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician.
The court heard that he was connected to 112 Ukraine, a television channel associated with Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian businessman and politician who was a close ally of Vladimir Putin.
Voloshyn has not been prosecuted in the United Kingdom because he is not in the country.
He has disputed the allegations surrounding the case.
The Guardian reported that Voloshyn said after Gill’s conviction that he was astonished by the outcome and considered the verdict unfair.
That distinction is important: Gill pleaded guilty to the bribery offences in Britain and was sentenced by a British court, while the allegations concerning other individuals remain separate matters.
The Reform UK connection
Gill’s political career means that the case has inevitably raised questions about Reform UK.
However, the offences occurred in 2018 and 2019, before Reform UK existed in its current form.
At that time, Gill was an MEP elected through UKIP and later associated with the Brexit Party.
He subsequently became the leader of Reform UK in Wales in 2021 and led its Welsh Parliament election campaign.
Reform has strongly condemned his conduct.
After the sentencing, a Reform UK spokesperson described Gill’s actions as reprehensible and said the party welcomed the sentence.
Nigel Farage has also sought to distance himself from Gill, describing him as a “bad apple” and saying that he had betrayed the trust placed in him.
Importantly, police have said they found no evidence that Gill’s activities were directed through Farage or that Farage was involved in the bribery.
The Guardian reported that investigators had not questioned Farage as part of the investigation.
That distinction matters when assessing the political implications of the case.
A criminal conviction against a former party figure does not, by itself, establish involvement by other politicians.
Did Gill influence other MEPs?
Another significant aspect of the case involved other elected representatives.
The court heard that Gill helped arrange for other MEPs to appear on 112 Ukraine and to participate in discussions concerning Ukraine.
The judge specifically noted that those politicians had not been accused of knowing that Gill had been paid.
Some of the individuals named in the case rejected suggestions that they had acted improperly.
The court therefore distinguished between Gill’s criminal conduct and the activities of other politicians who appeared in media interviews or participated in parliamentary debates.
That distinction is important because the evidence established Gill’s own guilty conduct, rather than automatically proving that everyone associated with the events was part of the same scheme.
Why the case matters beyond Reform
The Gill case has attracted attention far beyond Reform UK because it illustrates a wider problem: foreign actors attempting to influence democratic institutions through elected representatives.
Counter Terrorism Policing described the investigation as a case involving the protection of democratic values and national security.
Commander Dominic Murphy said the investigation had uncovered an elected MEP accepting payments to promote narratives beneficial to Russian interests.
The issue is particularly significant because Gill’s statements concerned Ukraine during a period of growing tension between Russia and Ukraine.
This was before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but Russia’s relationship with Ukraine was already deeply contentious.
The court therefore considered the political context when assessing the seriousness of Gill’s actions.
Russia and foreign interference
The case has also contributed to wider concerns in Britain about attempts by foreign states and associated actors to influence British politics.
Parliament has subsequently held debates about Russian influence on UK politics and democratic institutions.
Gill’s case is frequently cited in those discussions as an example of how financial incentives can be used to manipulate political messaging.
The central danger is not simply that a politician might express a controversial opinion.
Democratic systems depend on elected representatives being able to express political views freely.
The problem arises when an elected representative secretly accepts money from a foreign actor in exchange for presenting a particular political position as though it were their own.
That is precisely why bribery laws exist.
Reform Wales faces another difficult chapter
The Gill case has also become part of a longer-running debate about Reform UK in Wales.
The party has experienced several leadership changes in the country.
In September 2026, Reform appointed Helen Jenner as its latest Welsh leader after another leadership controversy.
Gill’s successor as Welsh leader, Dan Thomas, stepped down after being arrested on suspicion of assault and coercive behaviour, allegations he denies.
These events are separate from Gill’s criminal conviction, and there is no evidence that Thomas’s case is connected to the bribery offences.
Nevertheless, the repeated changes in Welsh leadership have generated scrutiny of Reform’s organisation and internal management.
For the party, maintaining clear distinctions between individual misconduct and the organisation itself is therefore politically important.
A case about democratic integrity
Nathan Gill’s imprisonment ultimately represents more than the downfall of one politician.
His case demonstrates how elected office can be exploited when financial incentives override the obligations attached to public service.
He was not jailed simply because he expressed views sympathetic to Russia.
He was jailed because he admitted accepting bribes to make political and public statements at the direction of those providing the money.
That distinction is fundamental.
Freedom of political expression is a central feature of democracy. Secretly selling political influence is fundamentally different.
The court’s sentence reflected that distinction.
The case also demonstrates the role of modern investigations. Messages recovered from a mobile phone, combined with public statements and financial evidence, allowed investigators to reconstruct a pattern of activity that had taken place several years earlier.
The confiscation proceedings in 2026 show that the consequences continue beyond imprisonment.
Gill is now serving a 10-and-a-half-year sentence, while authorities are also seeking to recover the proceeds of his criminal conduct.
For Reform UK, the case remains an uncomfortable part of its history, even though Gill’s offences occurred before the current party structure was established and the party has condemned his actions.
For Britain’s wider political system, the lesson is broader: foreign interference does not always require sophisticated cyberattacks or covert espionage. Sometimes, the vulnerability can be a person holding public office who is willing to sell political influence for money.
That is why the Gill case has become a significant reference point in Britain’s continuing debate over corruption, foreign interference and the protection of democratic institutions.