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UK Police Launch Criminal Investigation into Reform UK Donations Allegations
Confirmed
In Short: London's Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that the Reform UK party, led by veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, broke foreign funding laws.
London's Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that the Reform UK party, led by veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, broke foreign funding laws. The investigation follows an undercover investigation by Channel 4 News and Verbatim Investigations, which captured Farage and his aides discussing potential foreign donations during Reform's annual conference.
Reform, which has been under scrutiny over earlier donation allegations, denied any wrongdoing and stated it would "fully cooperate" with the investigation. The party's spokesman added that they would not comment further while a live investigation is underway. The police stated that they had received "a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party," and that detectives were seeking to obtain footage from the broadcast.
The undercover investigation, conducted by investigative group Verbatim, revealed that two senior officials in Reform—then head of policy James Orr and Farage's former right-hand man, Dan Jukes—were recorded discussing funding with a supposed US businessman and his British-based son. The conversation included suggestions for a payment of £500,000 for three opinion polls commissioned by the party. The footage also showed the two officials discussing ways to circumvent electoral law to secure foreign party donations.
James Orr, the party's head of policy, suggested that the father could pay for opinion polling to support one of Reform's campaigns. In one scene, an undercover reporter posing as the son of an American donor raised a concern that his father wouldn't be able to directly donate to the party within the law. The footage also showed Farage and Jukes at a lunch in Clacton, where it was suggested the US donor, played by an actor, gave £500,000 to Reform through his son.
The Metropolitan Police's Special Enquiry Team is now carrying out the investigation, which is being folded into an ongoing inquiry into other donations to the party. The police spokesperson stated that they would obtain footage relating to the broadcast, and the investigation is expected to delve into the specifics of the alleged foreign funding and the potential breaches of electoral law.
What's confirmed
- Reform, led by veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, denied any wrongdoing and a spokesman for the party said it would "fully cooperate" with the investigation.
- The undercover investigation, broadcast by Channel 4 during Reform's annual conference, was conducted by investigative group Verbatim, which said it spent a year speaking to officials in Reform about possible donations.
What's still developing
- Hours before widening the investigation, the police announced they were going to be investigating allegations of breached donation rules.
- Mr Farage, under investigation by a parliamentary watchdog about earlier donations, was forced to sack the close senior aides last week after the documentary aired.
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