BBC Radio 4 Today interview with Nick Robinson: the £5m gift, Andy Burnham, the Makerfield by-election and Brexit

Now, for weeks you've been saying vote for us to get rid of Starmer. He's gone, isn't it? The danger that people say it's not just over for him, it's over for your chances of becoming Prime Minister.

You know though that the rules say there doesn't need to be a general election. There've been many changes of Prime Minister without having a general election. You just fancy your chances.

Yes. Well, you're obviously not convinced, and you hope you hope not given that you fancy being Prime Minister yourself. Now, of course, you have just had an election in which you could have taken down Andy Burnham, and you lost and you lost it badly in truth, didn't you? Even if you'd added your vote together with your old enemy Rupert Lowe, you wouldn't have won. Now, was that because of your choice of candidate? You chose a man who had tweeted his sexual fantasies about a TV star wasn't really serious, was it?

Wrong candidate?

Why didn't you either withdraw him or get him to apologize?

here, I guess, as we get closer to a general election, whether it's on the original schedule or as you expect next May, is whether Reform UK is seen as a protest vote or seen as serious. So let me ask you something about you. Would you be happy if the next Prime Minister of this country secretly banked a 5 million pound check from a billionaire whose business interests he was promoting?

I asked you in general as a principle. I hadn't come to you, but would you would be happy if any candidate to be Prime Minister banked a secret check for 5 million pounds?

Well, you didn't reveal it. It was revealed by the newspaper you taking 5 million pounds.

Because we believe that people should govern in the national interest, not in the financial interests of themselves or their supporters.

You telling me you weren't discussing becoming an MP?

We did a 40-minute interview about whether you might become a member of Parliament.

And you took 5 million pounds from a billionaire who wants government and the Bank of England to change its policy.

Just to explain to people cuz you know, we didn't get the chance. You have long argued for cryptocurrency, that's true. You think the Bank of England's making a mistake by coming [clears throat] up with the idea of effectively a public crypto coin, if you like a a sort of digital currency, an official one. But you're promoting something that would massively financially benefit a man who gave you 5 million pounds and you didn't think we deserved to know it.

Let's be clear, there is an inquiry into whether you broke the rules and if you did

and but but also you have to declare it within a year of becoming a politician. It isn't just at the time you are a politician and they'll assess whether you did.

Let Let's be clear what I'm asking and I'll give you the chance to answer it. Okay. The reason I'm pushing this is because we know that why we have rules on taking money, particularly vast, unimaginable sums. For most people in the country, £5 million into your own bank account. We have those rules to be sure that you're doing what is in our interest and not in your interest. So, it's very clear, Mr. Farage, you've got lots of generous benefactors, you could give this money back.

Will you give this money back?

I I'm not running to be prime minister. You

I'm not running to be prime minister.

Well, but you know, one day maybe I'll come on your interview program, you can interview me. But meanwhile, I'm interviewing you about you becoming prime minister and taking on the most important job. Will you give the money back?

Well, you could say no, but it sounds to me like you're saying you might give it back.

Understood. Now, the reason I say it's of interest, of course, is that you mocked the prime minister, he is still the prime minister, Keir Starmer, and your party attacked him for taking money for free glasses and for suits. By one calculation, this is 1 270th of the amount of money you've taken. If Starmer shouldn't have taken money for glasses and suits, surely you should not

Now, talking of that, broadcasting on GB News, and indeed, what you've done for many, many years, what we know is you are defined by your views on Europe. You've consistently argued for it. And given that it's the anniversary of a rather important decision, Brexit, people, I think, are entitled just to a simple answer. Do you now in any way regret your recommendation to Britain that we should leave the EU because you claimed it would make us richer and it would get immigration down.