The Metropolitan Police has widened its criminal investigation into Reform UK following allegations that senior party figures discussed ways of accepting political funding from overseas, bringing renewed scrutiny to Nigel Farage’s party.
The development was announced on 9 September after detectives assessed reports made following an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News on 3 September. According to ITV News, the police investigation centres on allegations that Reform UK may have breached laws governing foreign political donations and payments for political polling.
The Met said it had received “a number of reports” concerning donations and polling involving a political party. After assessing the information, detectives concluded that there were potential offences requiring investigation. The allegations relate to possible offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
According to Reuters, the new allegations will become part of an existing Met investigation into Reform UK’s political funding. Police said the potential offences identified in the latest material were similar in nature to matters already being examined by its Special Enquiry Team.
The investigation follows undercover footage produced by Channel 4 News and investigative journalists from Verbatim. According to ITV News, reporters posed as a potential foreign donor and his son and held conversations with senior Reform figures about funding and polling.
The footage appeared to show former Reform chief of staff Dan Jukes and then head of policy James Orr discussing arrangements involving a supposed American donor. Reuters reported that the conversations included discussion of a payment for three opinion polls commissioned by the party.
Under UK electoral law, political donations are subject to restrictions on their source. ITV News reported that donations to political parties must come from permissible sources, including UK-registered voters or companies registered in the UK.
The controversy intensified after Jukes and Orr stepped down from their positions. The Independent reported that the pair resigned following the broadcast of the undercover footage, which appeared to show discussions about how money from a foreign source could potentially be channelled towards the party.
The Independent also reported that Farage has denied wrongdoing and said no illegal donation had actually been made. The party has maintained that the undercover operation amounted to entrapment and that the allegations do not demonstrate that Reform UK broke the law.
Reform UK said it would fully cooperate with the police investigation but would make no further comment while the inquiry remained active.
According to the Guardian, the police investigation also relates to footage in which a supposed overseas donor was involved in discussions about paying for polling intended to benefit Reform. The Guardian reported that more than £30,000 of polling had been paid for and that the material subsequently benefited the party when it appeared in national newspapers.
The Guardian also reported that the Electoral Commission was considering the information arising from the allegations and possible regulatory steps alongside the police inquiry.
The latest development adds to a series of investigations and questions surrounding Reform UK’s finances. Reuters reported that Farage is already facing scrutiny from a parliamentary watchdog over a separate £5 million gift from an overseas donor, while the Met has been examining other donations made to the party.
The Independent reported that the existing police investigation includes questions over donations made to Reform before the 2024 general election. The force has previously examined payments linked to Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell, a former Farage aide who has been convicted of fraud.
The widening of the investigation came shortly after Reform UK’s conference in Birmingham, where the party had been seeking to promote its political ambitions and outline its plans for government.
According to Reuters, the funding controversy overshadowed much of the conference, with the party spending considerable attention defending itself against the allegations rather than focusing solely on its political programme.
Despite the growing scrutiny, there have been no arrests in relation to the latest allegations, and the Met has said nobody has been interviewed under caution over the new claims.
Detectives are seeking relevant footage from the Channel 4 broadcast and are liaising with both the Electoral Commission and the Crown Prosecution Service as their enquiries continue.
The police investigation does not establish that Reform UK or any individual has committed an offence. The allegations remain under investigation, while Reform UK continues to deny wrongdoing.
The case is likely to remain politically significant as questions over party funding, foreign donations and transparency continue to attract attention ahead of the next UK general election.
Information for this article was reported by Reuters, ITV News, The Guardian and The Independent, with the original allegations arising from an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News and produced with investigative journalists from Verbatim.