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Nigel Farage has paid a visit to Dubai to build diplomatic relations with United Arab Emirates ministers and drum up donations for Reform UK from wealthy expats.
The two-night trip was his second visit to the Gulf state in two months, after a £10,000 trip hosted by Abu Dhabi to attend the Formula One grand prix.
Farage’s ability to secure an audience with foreign government ministers is a new development, as his diplomatic ties have previously been largely with Donald Trump’s US administration.
Speaking at a GB News event, Farage said he had had a “very good interview” with an unnamed UAE minister on Wednesday.
One of those present at the event was the UAE industry minister, Sultan Al Jaber, who is also the chief executive of the state oil company Adnoc and a former chair of the UAE’s national media council.
Farage gave a brief speech at the event, held in honour of GB News’ fifth anniversary, at the Aura Skypool, a 50-storey venue that boasts the world’s “highest infinity pool”.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, he said he had spoken to “loads” of British expats during his stay, trying to secure backing.
“There’s loads of expats [in Dubai]. Many of them would like to come back to the UK,” he said, citing taxation and crime as reasons Britons were choosing to live abroad.
“I’ve spoken to loads of people like that,” he said, adding that the trip was unlikely to result in any donation announcements.
Among the other attenders were the former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi, who defected to Reform this month, along with his wife, Lana, as well as senior members of GB News such as its owner, Paul Marshall, and local businesspeople and financiers.
Farage, who said he was in Dubai primarily for “sunshine” and to support GB News, gave a short speech in which he praised the news network. “They all laughed at us,” he said, harking back to remarks he made in the European parliament after the Brexit result. “They’re not laughing now, are they?”
Farage held two invitation-only events on Tuesday, including a private lunch opposite the Jumeirah Burj Al Arab hotel, which Bloomberg reported was backed by the Indian billionaire Sunny Varkey.
Varkey, a Dubai resident, is worth $4bn, according to Forbes magazine, and owns the schools operator GEMS Education.
Farage declined to comment on whether Varkey, whom he called a “nice chap”, had suggested donating to Reform UK, saying: “Even if he had, I wouldn’t discuss it.”
In December, Reform received the largest donation ever made to a UK party, when the expatriated crypto investor Christopher Harborne gave £9m.
GB News, whose financial backers include the Dubai-based investment company Legatum, paid Farage more than £200,000 last year, according to parliamentary records. The MP hosts a show for the channel four times a week.
Farage said the UK “has a lot to learn” from the UAE, which he praised for its low crime rate, entrepreneurship, “sensible” taxes and for banning the Muslim Brotherhood, which the UK government has resisted proscribing.
“These are all the things that we’re going to do in the United Kingdom,” he said. “We’re going to win the next election. And many of you who have come to Dubai will suddenly find London a more attractive place to be.”
