In an interview in the Daily Mail, Farage discusses his personal life and his 24-year political career, while claiming his “contempt for career politicians knows no bounds”.
“There’s no money in politics, particularly doing it the way I’ve done it – 20 years of spending more than you earn,” he told the newspaper.
Farage has faced criticism on social media for his claims that he is “skint”, with many pointing out he lives in a £4mn townhouse in Chelsea and has been taking a salary as an MEP for south-east England since 1999. He recently said he would not give up his annual pension from the EU, understood to be worth £73,000 a year.
The monthly pre-tax salary of MEPs under the single statute is €8,484.05 (£7,500) a month, according to the European parliament website, the equivalent of about £90,000 a year. Recent official statistics revealed the average weekly pay in the UK, excluding bonuses, is £478, equal to about £25,000 a year.
Farage was a founding member of Ukip in 1993 and has unsuccessfully stood for election to the House of Commons seven times – in five general elections and two by-elections. He resigned three times as Ukip leader, most recently in July 2016, although did return as acting leader when his successor, Diane James, stepped down only 18 days into the role.
He has faced criticism for his poor record as an MEP, with the website Votewatch Europe ranking him as 748th out of 751 for voting participation at the European parliament.
According to the article, Farage “cares deeply about his country”, is “one of the most successful politicians of his generation” and the interviewer says his “soulfulness is unexpected”.