Reform treasurer ‘met sanctioned individuals on ­Nicaragua trip’

Reform UK’s treasurer met internationally sanctioned individuals on a gold mining related visit to ­Nicaragua, it has been reported.

Billionaire property tycoon Nick Candy visited the Central American country last week and was greeted with a message from co-president Rosario Murillo, who is sanctioned by the UK over human rights abuses, the Times reported.

She described Mr Candy, who has been Reform’s treasurer since defecting from the Tories in 2024, as a “brother” and “comrade”, the newspaper said.

Mr Candy did not meet Ms Murillo or her husband and co-president Daniel Ortega but he did attend a meeting to discuss a gold mining project, the report added.

Leading a mining delegation, he met ­several figures subject to international sanctions including the co-president’s son, Laureano Facundo Ortega Murillo, according to the Times.

The treasurer was married to former singer and Neighbours actress Holly Valance but they split last year after 13 years of marriage.

The couple were high-profile figures within Reform UK and met Donald Trump with party leader Nigel Farage at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in 2022.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Time and again Nigel Farage and his top team travel abroad and fail to stand up for Britain’s interests.

“Whether it be Farage flying to the USA to call for trade sanctions that would hammer Britain’s economy, or his party treasurer jetting off to Nicaragua to do business with people sanctioned by the British state, they’re incapable of acting in the national interest.

“Nigel Farage pretends to be a patriot but time after time he and his close allies prove they’re anything but.”

Reform has been approached for comment.