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The Metropolitan Police have launched a criminal investigation into allegations that Reform UK may have violated laws regarding foreign funding. This development follows a Channel 4 News broadcast last week that aired evidence from an undercover reporter. The reporter documented two senior aides from Reform UK discussing potential methods to circumvent electoral regulations in order to secure foreign donations, including one instance involving a sum of £500,000.
This new inquiry by the Met’s Special Enquiry Team is being incorporated into a broader ongoing investigation concerning other donations received by Reform UK. The party has responded by denying any illegal conduct and stating their intention to fully cooperate with the authorities. A spokesperson for Reform UK added, “We won’t be commenting further while a live investigation is under way.”
According to a Metropolitan Police spokesperson, they had received multiple reports related to donations and polling activities connected to a political party following the release of the investigative film by Channel 4 News and Verbatim Investigations. The police statement emphasized that the allegations under review involve possible breaches of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Detectives are coordinating closely with the Electoral Commission and Crown Prosecution Service, and efforts are underway to obtain footage from the broadcast as part of their inquiries.
The revelations came to light during Reform UK’s conference in Birmingham, coinciding with the departure of two prominent party officials, Dan Jukes, chief of staff to leader Nigel Farage, and James Orr, head of policy. The undercover footage involves an investigator posing as the son of an American donor who is concerned that his father would be unable to legally make a direct donation under UK electoral law, which restricts eligible donors to UK-registered voters or companies registered in the UK. Jukes appears to propose that the donation be made in the name of the UK-based son, despite the funds originating from his American father. Meanwhile, Orr suggests the donor could instead cover the cost of opinion polling to support one of Reform’s campaigns. Both Jukes and Orr have denied wrongdoing; Jukes has stepped back from politics to clear his name, while Orr has pledged full cooperation with the party’s internal investigation. The police investigation also encompasses earlier donations, including funds from Fiona Cottrell, mother of Nigel Farage ally George Cottrell, and payments from a company linked to Reform deputy leader Richard Tice, which received £1 million from Cottrell in June 2024
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