By Lucy Caulkett-
LONDON, UK — A former leader of the political party Reform UK in Wales, Nathan Gill, has been sentenced to ten and a half years in prison for a “profound” betrayal of public trust, accepting thousands of pounds in bribes to push a pro-Russian agenda within the European Parliament. The sentencing at the Old Bailey on Friday, November 21, 2025, closed a shocking case that exposed how foreign influence can penetrate the highest levels of British politics for financial gain.
Gill, 52, from Anglesey, North Wales, pleaded guilty in September to eight counts of bribery committed between December 2018 and July 2019, during his time as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). The court heard that he accepted payments from a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician, Oleg Voloshyn, to make statements, ask questions, and arrange media appearances that advanced Moscow’s interests concerning events in Ukraine.
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The full extent of Gill’s corrupt activities came to light after he was stopped by counter-terrorism police at Manchester Airport in September 2021 as he was about to board a flight to Moscow to act as an election observer. The seizure and examination of his mobile phone revealed a series of WhatsApp messages between Gill and Voloshyn, in which payments were discussed using codewords like “promised x-mas gifts,” “postcards,” and “5K”.
Introducing the facts of the case at the Old Bailey on Friday, prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said Gill’s crimes were exposed after he was stopped at Manchester airport on September 13 2021 and his phone seized. He said that he was travelling to Russia by invitation to attend a scientific conference in Moscow and that he had been invited to act as an observer in the Russian state Duma elections in the middle of that month. “He also said that he had performed the same role on two previous occasions,” the prosecutor said.
“The communications between the two men showed that an established relationship existed between them.”
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WhatsApp messages between the pair included references to “promised x-mas gifts”, “postcards” and “5K” which was a reference to payments, he said.
: “The communications between the two men showed that an established relationship existed between them.”
WhatsApp messages between the pair included references to “promised x-mas gifts”, “postcards” and “5K” which was a reference to payments, he said.
After speaking from a script at one debate, Voloshyn told him: “Impressive… you are the perfect orator”, the court was told.
“It is made clear in the subsequent messages, and this again becomes a pattern after this time, that Mr Gill is invited to encourage others to adopt the same approach and to repeat the same line,” Mr Heywood said.
Former Reform UK leader in Wales Nathan Gill was sentenced at the Old Bailey (Yui Mok/PA)
After the 2019 European Elections, Mr Voloshyn asked Gill to arrange for colleagues from the Brexit Party to attend a presentation by Mr Medvedchuk on the ongoing conflict in the Donbas region. Mr Heywood said the Ukrainian asked Gill to book a room and various names were mentioned including a “leading figure”.
The prosecution detailed a sophisticated scheme where Gill received scripted material to present as his own in parliamentary debates and opinion pieces for news outlets such as 112 Ukraine. On one occasion, after delivering a speech based on a draft from Voloshyn, the Ukrainian official messaged Gill, saying, “impressive… you are the perfect orator”.
Police believe Gill accepted a minimum of £40,000 in cash, sometimes received during meetings in Brussels or Strasbourg. He also explored recruiting other MEPs to the scheme, offering to introduce them to Voloshyn for similar payments.
In her sentencing remarks, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb condemned Gill’s actions, stating they were motivated by “financial and political gain” and “fundamentally compromised the integrity of a supranational legislative body”. She highlighted the gravity of the betrayal, particularly concerning Russia, a “persistent hostile state” in the lead-up to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The case has triggered significant political fallout, with other parties demanding a full investigation into Russian interference within UK politics.
Reform UK, which Gill led in Wales for a brief period in 2021, was quick to distance itself from the former politician, stating his actions were “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable” and welcoming the sentence.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis described Gill’s conduct as a “betrayal of our country, our people, and our national security,” adding that he would now face the consequences of his actions.
Before joining the Brexit Party (which later became Reform UK) in 2019, Gill was a prominent figure in the UK Independence Party (UKIP), serving as a UKIP MEP from 2014 to 2020 and the party’s leader in Wales from 2014 to 2016.
His defence barrister, Peter Wright KC, acknowledged that jail time was inevitable and that Gill, a family man, felt “deeply felt” shame for the impact his actions would have on his wife and children.
However, the judge maintained the severe sentence reflected the seriousness of the breach of public trust. The Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, which led the investigation, indicated that inquiries into the involvement of other individuals, including former MEPs, remain ongoing. The case serves as a stark warning about the vulnerabilities of democratic institutions to malign foreign influence.
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