Nigel Farage had a deal in place to return as Reform leader months before the general election, it was claimed today.

The Brexiteer is said to have negotiated arrangements for a potential comeback in March and April 2024 – ahead of the national ballot in July.

They included a plan for the party to settle more than £1million in outstanding loans to Reform deputy leader Richard Tice's company, according to the Sunday Times.

However, Reform insisted Mr Farage had merely been keeping his options open and there was no commitment to resume his leadership until an announcement at the beginning of June.  

The details could raise more questions about Mr Farage accepting a £5million gift from a billionaire Reform donor in early 2024. 

He has been adamant it was purely a personal gift and did not need to be declared to Parliament because he was a media commentator at the time, not a candidate or party leader.

Mr Farage is currently fighting a by-election in Clacton, having quit as an MP to take on 'the establishment'.

None of the other main parties are standing against him, opting instead to wait for the findings of a Commons standards probe that could force another by-election.

If Mr Farage wins on August 13 the sleaze investigation into whether he should have declared the gift from crypto tycoon Christopher Harborne is expected to resume. 

All donations from the 12 months before MPs enter the Commons need to be submitted for the official register 

The Sunday Times said the agreement on the terms for Mr Farage replacing Mr Tice as leader was presented to the then-party Treasurer Mehrtash A'Zami in mid-May 2024. 

Mr A'Zami told the newspaper: 'I was told about the agreement before the election was called. It commenced when Nigel came back.

'The essence was the schedule of repayments. I was told to implement it and acted to fulfil it in line with my responsibilities.'

But Reform said Mr Farage was merely 'keeping his options open' by establishing the party's 'liabilities and what loans would have to be repaid' if he did return.

A spokesperson said a 'mix-up' meant one tranche of loan was repaid to Mr Tice personally instead of his company, but insisted the issue was 'quickly sorted'. 

They said 'all relevant repayments were declared to the Electoral Commission'.