Reform UK under criminal investigation amid allegations of donation rules breach

Following a Channel 4 News broadcast on Thursday evening, the Met Police’s special enquiry team is now looking into allegations Nigel Farage’s party broke foreign funding laws.

The investigation has been added to the Met Police’s ongoing inquiry into party donations.

A spokesman for Reform UK said: “Reform UK denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation.

“We won’t be commenting further while a live investigation is underway.”

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On Thursday Channel 4 News broadcast footage of two senior Reform aides suggesting a way around electoral law to secure foreign donations of £500,000.

An undercover investigator poses as the son of a wealthy American donor and tells the aides he is worried that his father cannot directly donate to the party. The aides then appear to suggest the donations could be made in the UK-based son’s name, despite coming from his American father.

Under election law, you must be a UK registered voter or a company registered in the UK to make a donation to a UK political party.

Since the broadcast, Mr Farage’s chief of staff Dan Jukes and the party’s head of policy James Orr have both stood down from their positions.

The Met Police said it had received “a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party” since the broadcast.

In a statement, it said: “Detectives have assessed the information provided and determined that there are potential offences requiring investigation.

“The potential offences are similar in nature to matters already under investigation by the Met’s special enquiry team relating to donations made to the same political party. As a result, these matters will form part of that ongoing investigation.

Read more: How I was nearly ejected from Reform UK's chaotic party conference

“All allegations under investigation relate to potential offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Detectives continue to liaise closely with the Electoral Commission and Crown Prosecution Service as enquiries progress.”

The spokesperson also said the Met Police is trying to get a hold of footage relating to the broadcast.

The Met Police is already investigating £500,000 worth of donations made to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of convicted fraudster George Cottrell.

This is on top of an investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner into whether or not Mr Farage should have declared a £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne prior to him becoming an MP.

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: “Last Thursday’s Channel 4 News report included serious allegations of wrongdoing.

“It is right that these are properly and thoroughly investigated by the police.

“In parallel, we are also considering all relevant information and regulatory steps.

“For the public to trust our democratic system it is essential that political finance laws are upheld. The laws are there to prevent foreign and impermissible money from entering the UK system and to give voters transparency over the money spent and received by parties, campaigners and candidates.

“While these enquiries are underway, we won’t be able to comment further.”

Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson MP said: “No stone can be left unturned in getting to the truth over these incredibly serious allegations. Reform UK is drowning in sleaze and scandal.“Farage needs to wake up and realise the buck stops with him.

“Reform’s failure to take responsibility for their actions shows just how unfit they are for office.”