The Metropolitan Police have launched a criminal investigation into claims that Reform UK breached party donation rules on illegal foreign funding.
Allegations that the party arranged illegal donations overshadowed the party’s conference in Birmingham last week and led to the resignation of Nigel Farage’s chief of staff and longtime aide Dan Jukes, as well as policy director James Orr.
Over the weekend, the Met confirmed they were considering complaints from Labour and the Lib Dems over video footage obtained by Channel 4 and investigative group Verbatim as part of a sting operation, which appeared to show senior Reform figures discussing how to disguise donations from foreign sources.
Members of Verbatim posed as an American donor and his son, who had paid for polling allegedly commissioned by Reform and were seeking to channel money to the party.
Under electoral law, donations to a UK political party must be made by UK-registered voters, or a company registered in the UK. Mr Farage has insisted he and his aides “had done nothing illegal” and that no money changed hands.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the force confirmed it had launched a probe, saying: “Following a broadcast by Channel 4 News on Thursday, September 3, the Met received a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party. 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.
“All allegations under investigation relate to potential offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.”
They added: “As part of enquiries, detectives are seeking to obtain relevant footage relating to the broadcast on Thursday, September 3.
“Detectives continue to liaise closely with the Electoral Commission and Crown Prosecution Service as enquiries progress.”
It is understood that no arrests have been made and no one has been interviewed under caution in relation to the latest allegations.
The Met is already investigating whether payments to Reform from Fiona Cottrell, mother of longstanding Farage ally and convicted fraudster George Cottrell, in the weeks before the last election complied with donation laws.
It comes as Mr Farage also faces intense scrutiny about an undeclared separate £5m he was given by Thai crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, which he claims was a personal “gift”.
The Reform claimed over the weekend that the allegations broadcast by Channel 4 were made because “they’re scared of us” and he conceded that there would likely be further probes into Reform as a result.
He told the BBC on Saturday that he “frankly wasn’t listening” during a conversation captured on camera by Channel 4 with his former chief of staff and an undercover journalist.
In the footage, Mr Farage was present when it was suggested a US donor give £500,000 to Reform through his UK-based son – a proposal that could have been in breach of electoral law. The political donation was ultimately never made.
“I was in the middle of canvassing in the Clacton by-election. I turn up. I frankly wasn’t even listening”, he said.
The footage was part of an investigation by undercover group Verbatim, who posed as an American donor and his son who had paid for polling allegedly commissioned by Reform and were seeking to channel money to Reform.
Accepting donations from a foreign company, including donations in kind such as polling, could constitute a criminal offence.
The maximum sentence for potential criminal offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 is 12 months in prison, though certain specific indictable offences or related provisions can carry higher terms, such as two years.
The latest row comes during a difficult period for Mr Farage, whose poll ratings have fallen amid scrutiny of Reform’s finances and a Clacton by-election that was boycotted by other parties.
After the news of the police investigation broke, Mr Farage ignored it to post on X, formerly Twitter, instead pushing the party’s plans to outlaw some face coverings.
“I will ban the burqa and balaclavas. This is Britain. We see each other’s faces,” he wrote.
Reform UK said it would co-operate fully with the police investigation.
In a statement, a spokesman for the party said: “Reform UK denies any wrongdoing and will fully co-operate with the investigation. We won’t be commenting further while a live investigation is under way.”
