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Reform UK has announced that two of its senior officials have resigned amid an internal investigation into allegations concerning party funding, which were highlighted in a Channel 4 News report. Dan Jukes, a close aide to Nigel Farage, and James Orr, the party’s head of policy, have both temporarily stepped down while the inquiry is ongoing. The party emphasized that the investigation must be allowed to proceed independently and without bias, and declined to provide further comments at this stage.
This controversy has emerged just before Reform UK’s conference in Birmingham, threatening to dominate attention during its first full day. The Channel 4 investigation, aired on Thursday evening, featured undercover footage in which Jukes appeared to suggest a method for circumventing electoral law to secure a £500,000 foreign donation for the party. The undercover operation was conducted by Verbatim Investigations, an organization founded by journalists from the Centre for Climate Reporting. Channel 4 News confirmed that it had verified the authenticity of the footage before choosing to broadcast it.
Reform UK has denied any illegal activity, calling the situation a “hoax perpetuated by foreign funded climate change activists.” Meanwhile, both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have referred the matter to the Metropolitan Police, who have said they will review any evidence submitted. Jukes himself denied any misconduct, stating that he had “stepped back from politics in order to clear my name.” Attempts to obtain comment from James Orr were unanswered.
Speaking about the allegations on Friday, Nigel Farage told LBC that some contractors had “said things that shouldn’t have been said” and were subsequently “removed this morning.” Farage stressed that “the party has broken no laws” and has not accepted any illicit money. Despite these assurances, Farage seems to be distancing himself from Jukes and Orr, both of whom are regarded as part of his inner circle, with Jukes known as a key aide intimately familiar with Farage’s approach, and Orr as a Cambridge academic and policy lead
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