Reform UK politician Matthew Goodwin was taken to task over his financial links to Viktor Orbán’s ousted government at a post-election event in Budapest yesterday.

Despite offering no commentary on the election result online, Goodwin travelled to Hungary’s capital to headline an event hosted by Orbán’s in-house think tank and training school, Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC).

Orbán, Hungary’s autocratic leader who has ruled the country for 16 years, suffered a landslide election defeat at the weekend to challenger Péter Magyar – a right-wing, anti-corruption candidate.

DeSmog obtained an exclusive audio recording of the MCC event, during which Goodwin was challenged over his relationship with the now-former Hungarian regime.

Commentator Jon Worth asked Goodwin – a GB News presenter who ran for Nigel Farage’s party in the Gorton and Denton by-election in February – how much he stood to lose financially if Magyar strips MCC’s government funding, as he has threatened.

Goodwin has worked for MCC as a visiting fellow – a role that reportedly pays up to €10,000 a month. While Reform claimed in February that Goodwin previously served in the role for only a “brief period”, it appears Goodwin may in fact still hold the position. The page for the Budapest event states that he is an “author, political commentator, visiting fellow at MCC”.

Meanwhile, Goodwin failed to deny in response to Worth that he is still paid by MCC.

“As you know, it is entirely standard in academia to have research fellowships with universities, with organisations around the world,” he said – adding that trade unions and left-wing groups also regularly sponsor academic fellows and conferences.

When pressed, Goodwin actively defended his ties to MCC, saying: “I’m very proud of every relationship I have with a conservative network… I think it’s great that Hungary is investing in lots of different networks, bringing people into this country who have very different ideas. That is what democracy should be, in my mind, is exchanging ideas in the public square… I’m perfectly fine with all of my working relationships.”

Goodwin, Reform, and MCC were approached for comment.

MCC has been funded by Orbán’s pro-Russia regime and, in 2020, was gifted more than $1.3 billion in Hungarian state funding, including a 10 percent stake in the country’s national oil company, MOL, which derives much of its income from selling Russian fossil fuels.

Using this wealth, MCC convenes regular conferences and events featuring high-profile politicians from across Europe and America – including figures associated with Reform.

According to documents obtained by investigative outlet Átlátszó, MCC fellows are expected to give speeches, attend events, network, and place articles in Western outlets. Conservative media titles GB News, The Spectator, The Critic and UnHerd are named as potential targets. MCC’s payments to visiting scholars and guest speakers increased dramatically from €197,000 in 2022 to €730,000 in the first 10 months of 2024.

Goodwin also used the MCC event to comment on the election result – claiming: “I’m not an expert on Hungarian politics, but it seems to me that the European Union is probably going to pressure your new government to do whatever it can in order to increase migration”.

Goodwin also compared the outcome to the 1997 UK general election, which saw a landslide for Tony Blair’s Labour Party. “When voters have decided they want to change the political zeitgeist, when they want to change the political mood, it is incredibly difficult to change their minds,” he said.

The former academic said he’s going on a “road trip” through Hungary and Austria in the coming days to promote his anti-migration ideas, and tried to console supporters of Orbán’s party, Fidesz.

“Having run for office myself recently and finished second… losses make you stronger,” he said. “Losses always make political movements stronger. And I know maybe people don’t want to hear this if they happen to be a supporter of Fidesz, but over the long period of time, when people come to look back, it’s the losses that make you much stronger political movements and bring you back to being sharper, more nimble, you know, more compelling, more courageous.”

Orbán Defeated

In his 16-year rule, Orbán used the state to attack press freedom, LGBT and abortion rights, fair elections, and asylum seekers, while opposing EU sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Hungary has been ranked as the most corrupt country in the EU, with high levels of poverty.

Yet Farage and his allies have singled out Orbán’s Hungary for praise, and held it up as a model for the UK and Europe.

In 2019, Farage called Orbán “the future of Europe”, while his head of policy James Orr last year described Orbán’s regime as a “counterexample to the ideology in my own country that rejects national pride and heritage.” 

Both Orr and Goodwin have been regular fixtures at MCC conferences in recent times – appearing at last year’s MCC summer festival alongside techno-authoritarian entrepreneur Peter Thiel, and former Conservative advisor Dominic Cummings.

Incoming Hungarian prime minister Magyar has promised to dismantle the “industrial-scale” corruption instigated by Orbán’s regime. He has also pledged to “recover the state assets granted to the MCC and end the practice of political network-building with public funds.”

Magyar intends to bring Hungary in line with European Union rules, allowing the country to benefit from EU funds that have been blocked in recent years due to Orbán’s autocratic policies.

The new leader also plans to adopt a more anti-Russia approach than his predecessor, taking Hungary out of Vladimir Putin’s orbit and reducing the country’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

Orbán had a close relationship with Putin. In a leaked transcript from a call in October, Orbán privately told the Russian despot: “I am at your service”.

By contrast, Magyar has said that, if he speaks to Putin, he will call on the Russian president to “end the killing” in Ukraine.