Police launch criminal investigation into Reform UK donations

Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Inquiry Into Reform UK Funding Allegations

Ninoda.com – The Metropolitan Police has begun a criminal investigation into claims that Reform UK may have breached rules governing political donations from overseas. The inquiry follows allegations that party aides discussed possible ways to obtain financial support linked to a foreign donor.

Detectives from the Met’s Special Enquiry Team are handling the case. Their work will be combined with an existing investigation into separate donations made to Reform UK, widening the scrutiny of the party’s funding arrangements.

A Reform UK spokesperson said the party rejects the allegations and intends to assist investigators.

“Denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation.”

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

Allegations concern foreign-linked donations

The latest investigation was prompted by footage in which an undercover investigator, presenting himself as the son of a potential American donor, raised concerns about whether his father could lawfully give money directly to a British political party.

UK electoral rules limit who can make permissible donations. A donor must generally be registered to vote in the United Kingdom, or be a company registered in the UK. Those restrictions are intended to prevent overseas money from influencing domestic elections and political campaigning.

In the recording, Dan Jukes, who was then chief of staff to Reform leader Nigel Farage, appeared to suggest that a donation could be made in the name of the donor’s UK-based son, despite the funds originating with his American father. The proposed donation was said to have been worth £500,000.

Separate footage showed James Orr, then Reform UK’s head of policy, discussing the possibility that the American father could instead finance opinion polling connected to one of the party’s campaigns. Funding polling can be politically significant because it may shape campaign strategy, messaging and voter targeting, even where no money is paid directly into party accounts.

The Met said it had received multiple reports concerning donations and polling connected with a political party after the programme was broadcast. Police are seeking to obtain the relevant footage as part of their enquiries.

“All allegations under investigation relate to potential offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.”

The force said detectives remain in close contact with both the Electoral Commission and the Crown Prosecution Service while the investigation develops. The Electoral Commission oversees compliance with political finance law, while the CPS may become involved if police submit evidence for a decision on potential charges.

Senior figures leave their roles

The allegations cast a shadow over Reform UK’s conference in Birmingham and were followed by the departure of two senior figures. Jukes stood down after the claims emerged, while Orr also left his position as head of policy.

Jukes has denied wrongdoing and said he had withdrawn from political life while seeking to clear his name.

“Stepped back from politics in order to clear my name.”

Orr said last week that he would cooperate fully with the party’s internal investigation. An internal review and a police inquiry are separate processes: a party can examine conduct within its own organisation, while officers consider whether evidence points to breaches of criminal law.

No conclusion has been reached by police, and the opening of an investigation does not establish that any offence has occurred. Detectives will need to assess the recordings, the nature and source of any proposed funds, whether payments were made or arranged, and whether relevant individuals or organisations met the legal requirements for political donors.

Existing examination of other Reform UK payments

The new allegations are being added to a Met investigation already under way into donations received by Reform UK in the period before the last general election. That earlier work focuses on whether particular payments complied with electoral donation legislation.

One strand concerns donations made directly to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell, a longstanding ally of Nigel Farage. Investigators are also examining payments from a company controlled by Reform deputy leader Richard Tice.

That company received £1m from Fiona Cottrell in June 2024. The police inquiry is considering the surrounding circumstances and whether the arrangements complied with the rules that regulate party funding.

Political donation law is designed to ensure transparency over who finances parties and campaigns. Parties must check that donors are permissible, maintain records, and report qualifying donations. Questions can arise not only over direct transfers to a party but also over financial support delivered through companies, intermediaries or campaign-related services.

For voters, the central issue is whether political activity has been funded in a way that complies with the safeguards Parliament created. The investigation will examine whether any alleged arrangement amounted to an attempt to bypass those safeguards, rather than merely looking at the public description of a payment.

Reform UK has said it will cooperate with the police inquiry. Further developments will depend on the evidence gathered by detectives, discussions with electoral regulators, and any eventual assessment by prosecutors.