Two senior aides to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage stepped down on Friday following an undercover investigation that alleged the party had violated electoral law by enabling a foreign donor to finance political polling, reports BritPanorama.
The allegations were made by an investigative group called Verbatim, which claimed that two top officials arranged for a U.S. company to pay over £30,000 ($40,000) for polling commissioned by the party. Reform UK has denied any wrongdoing, stating it was the victim of a hoax orchestrated by climate activists posing as wealthier donors.
The Labour Party has since written to the police, urging an investigation into potential criminal activities, including discussions about channeling a larger overseas donation through a UK intermediary. Such actions could contravene British laws prohibiting foreign donations to political parties.
The Channel 4 investigation, which aired on the first day of Reform’s annual conference, featured covertly filmed footage of meetings with party officials. Farage, a prominent Brexit campaigner and ally of Donald Trump, asserted on LBC radio: “The party has broken no laws. The party has not taken any dodgy money or anything like that whatsoever.”
Party’s poll lead has faltered
Reform has witnessed a decline in its previously commanding lead in opinion polls amidst allegations of undeclared donations. In response to the investigation, the party has initiated an internal review, with the implicated officials—head of policy James Orr and Farage’s right-hand man Dan Jukes—stepping down pending the outcome.
Orr, a philosophy professor at the University of Cambridge, maintained in a video that Reform had no role in commissioning the contested poll. “There’s absolutely no way this could amount to a benefit or donation in kind at all,” he asserted, claiming that the polls were publicly arranged by an independent party.
The timing of these accusations coincides with a crucial moment for Reform as Farage aimed to use the conference for a political reset after a challenging summer. He is under parliamentary investigation over a £5 million donation from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne in 2024, a claim he also denies.
Labour allege further possible breaches
In his statements on Friday, Farage recognized that both Jukes and Orr had “said things that shouldn’t have been said” regarding the potential foreign donations while insisting that the party had not accepted any such funds and that his officials had been “entrapped.”
The Labour Party’s correspondence with the Metropolitan Police highlighted additional potential breaches mentioned in the documentary, including a proposal to channel a U.S.-based donation through a UK intermediary and indications that similar arrangements were employed in the past.
A spokesperson for Reform defended the party, asserting it was targeted by a hoax conducted by foreign-funded climate activists masquerading as potential donors and reiterating that there had been no wrongdoing. The party maintains a thorough vetting process approved by the Electoral Commission.
The Metropolitan Police acknowledged the allegations presented in the broadcast but indicated that they are only assessing the information provided at this stage, and a formal investigation has not yet commenced. The Electoral Commission stated it is reviewing all relevant information while underscoring that parties must ensure their internal processes for donor vetting are adequate and effective.
As investigations loom and the party’s future appears uncertain, the unfolding events could significantly impact Britain’s political landscape.
