Reform party faces scrutiny over concealed donations
Footage appearing to show senior Reform figures discussing how to disguise donations from foreign sources “looks bad” for the party, Nigel Farage has admitted, reports BritPanorama.
The Reform leader is battling to contain fresh scandal allegations after an undercover sting derailed his annual party conference in Birmingham. The investigation revealed potentially illicit discussions surrounding political donations.
In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, Farage stated that comments made by his former chief of staff and another party member were “injudicious at best.”
“This looks bad, as does the sale of peerages, as does government contracts for donations. We are not the first people to be involved in a row over donations,” he acknowledged.
Earlier remarks from the interview indicated that Farage “frankly wasn’t listening” during the conversation featured in the Channel 4 broadcast. He also anticipated “many more investigations” into Reform over the coming months.
The footage showed a proposal for a US donor to give £500,000 to Reform through his UK-based son, which could breach electoral law. Notably, the political donation was ultimately never made.
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they are considering complaints from Labour and the Lib Dems over the allegations. Farage is already under scrutiny regarding funds received by Reform, including £5 million from a wealthy backer.
The party’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick stated on Sunday that he had reviewed legal advice confirming there had been no legal violations, although he acknowledged that “lessons would be learnt.”
Jenrick told Sky News: “We’re going to investigate exactly what happened. It’s right to have due process. But this is not the way that Reform conducts itself. Like any political party, we seek to abide by the law at all times, and we believe we have in this case.”
“But do we want the best version of ourselves? Yes, absolutely. And no doubt there will be lessons to be learnt from this. We have a strong compliance department and we often turn away donations from impermissible sources.”
The footage was part of an investigation by the undercover group Verbatim, posing as an American donor and son who had funded polling allegedly commissioned by Reform while seeking to channel money to the party.
Accepting donations from foreign companies, including in-kind contributions such as polling, could constitute a criminal offence.
