Monday, November 09, 2026
Farage and the snooper
They say that the recent Reform UK candidate Arron Banks, who is setting up a pro-Brexit campaign with Mr Farage, has hired a company called Precision Risk and Intelligence (PRI) to spy on two companies he is currently locked in a seven-year dispute with.
They add that tactics include using private investigators to snoop into the lives and business of his targets, including creating a whistleblowing cooperation against insurance company Talanx and legal firm Kennedys:
The extraordinary move follows recent revelations that Mr Banks also used the same company to spy on journalists at The Sunday Times who had been investigating Mr Farage and other senior figures in Reform UK.
There have also been claims he used PRI to obtain material on Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake.
Mr Banks is hoping to run as Reform UK’s candidate in Jacob Rees-Mogg’s former North East Somerset seat and was the party’s candidate for mayor in Bristol.
The latest revelations come against the backdrop of a seven-year dispute with the insurance company Talanx and their legal firm Kennedys.
The Independent understands Mr Banks has even asked PRI to set up a whistleblowing operation, where large numbers of staff have been contacted with a view to providing information of any misconduct.
He has alleged Kennedys undertook an audit of his insurance company Legal Protection Group (LPG), while simultaneously pitching their services to Talanx to replace LPG, which led to a conflict of interest.
The Independent understands Mr Banks made complaints via the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) but has also taken matters into his own hands in the case.
Mr Banks has been a long-term ally of Mr Farage, funding the Leave.EU campaign in 2016 and being pictured with him meeting Donald Trump the same year alongside other Brexiteers, including Andy Wigmore and Raheem Kassam.
These revelations raise more questions over Farage’s judgement with candidates and his inner circle.
