Reform UK donations being investigated by Met Police after undercover TV sting.TA
Criminal probe launched after foreign donor claims in TV documentary
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK was the subject of an undercover sting about donations (Image: Getty)
The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into Reform UK donations following an undercover sting.
Two senior figures – long-term Nigel Farage aide Dan Jukes and head of policy James Orr – have been suspended after claims the Party breached foreign donor rules.
A force spokesman said it had received “a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party”.
He added: “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.”
No arrests have been made.
Rival parties had reported Reform UK to the police over claims by Channel 4 News that Mr Farage’s party took funding from a US firm for three polls it commissioned earlier this year, costing £32,500.
In the film, Mr Jukes and Mr Orr appear to suggest a way around electoral law to secure foreign party donations, one of which would have totalled £500,000.
The purported donors that appeared in the footage broadcast last Thursday were in fact undercover reporters from investigative group Verbatim posing as an American financier and his UK-based son.
Foreign companies are not a permissible source of funding for parties, including for payments for studies and research, and accepting donations from them could constitute a criminal offence.
Reform UK “denies any wrongdoing” and will “fully co-operate” with the Metropolitan Police investigation, a spokesman said.
He added: “We won’t be commenting further while a live investigation is underway.”
On Friday, Mr Jukes said in a statement: “This was entrapment over a prolonged period of nearly a year by foreign-funded, climate change activists.
“I totally deny any wrongdoing but have stepped back from politics in order to clear my name.”
The Met had already been investigating whether payments to Reform UK in the weeks before the last election complied with donation laws.
The probe is examining donations given directly to the party by Fiona Cottrell, mother of longstanding Farage ally, George Cottrell.
It is also examining payments from a company controlled by Reform’s deputy leader Richard Tice, which received £1million from Ms Cottrell in June 2024.
Donations flood in as fury grows over RNLI being accused of being taxi service for migrant
The organisation has saved 150,000 lives since it was founded.
The RNLI has been in operation for over 200 years (Image: Getty)
The RNLI has seen a spike in donations after being accused of being a ‘taxi service for migrants’. The RNLI operates lifeboat services along the UK coastline, founded in 1824 and saving 150,000 lives since then.
It is principally funded by legacies (65%) and donations (30%). Most of its lifeboat crews are unpaid volunteers operating more than 400 lifeboats from 238 stations. Paid lifeguards provide services at nearly 250 beaches.
But not all are grateful for its services. Last year, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage branded the RNLI a “taxi service for illegal immigration”. And on Sunday night in Portsmouth, a far-right group wearing balaclavas shouted abuse at volunteers.
They called them “traitors to this country”, “scum”, and “yellowbellies” for aiding migrants crossing the Channel. The RNLI has declared its obligation to help anyone in distress on coastal waters, under international maritime law.
The RNLI said they will rescue people ‘without judgement or preference’ (Image: Social media)
The RNLI has said it has also seen a spike in donations following the attack on its volunteers in Portsmouth, for which it is “so grateful”. It also said volunteers will rescue people ‘without judgement or preference’ as the service has done for more than 200 years
A spokesperson said: “We’ve seen a significant increase in the number of donations we have received this week, and we’ve welcomed a number of new supporters to our charity.
“As always, we’re so grateful for the support we receive from our amazing supporters, without them we would not be able to deliver our vital lifesaving service.
“Sadly, we have also been contacted by a number of supporters and members of the public who have informed us that they wish to withdraw their support in recent days. Everyone at the RNLI remains focused on our core purpose of saving lives at sea.”
There has also been a spike in donations to a GoFundMe launched by Simon Harris. The man started the fundraiser in 2021 following Farage’s comments about the RNLI. In five years, it has raised £336,000 for the organisation.
Harris said his opinion of the Reform leader was low, and it gets lower every time he attacks the RNLI. He said: “It’s like the NHS. RNLI volunteers are risking their lives – they’re not being paid for it. It should be almost like a sacred cow.”
