Nigel Farage has provided a new explanation for why he accepted a £5m gift from a Reform UK donor in the weeks before he announced he would stand in the last general election.

In an interview on Thursday, Farage said the money was a “reward” for campaigning for Brexit. Previously, he had said the gift was given for security purposes, to keep him “safe and secure” for the rest of his life.

Farage had also claimed the gift was “purely private” and “wasn’t political in any sense at all”.

Christopher Harborne, the crypto billionaire who gave Farage the money, said he had done so “to support Nigel’s security not just now but for the rest of his life”.

The apparent shift from Farage’s original account came on Thursday…