Reform UK suspends officials amid foreign donation allegations
Anti-immigration party Reform UK suspended two senior officials on Friday after they were filmed appearing to discuss accepting funds from a foreign donor in potential breach of British electoral law, reports BritPanorama.
The party announced that Dan Jukes, an adviser to leader Nigel Farage, and policy chief James Orr “have stepped down from their respective positions” pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
Footage aired by Channel 4 revealed Jukes discussing a plan to channel a £500,000 ($675,000) donation from a U.S. financier through what he suggested was the financier’s U.K.-based son. The “son” was actually a reporter from the investigative group Verbatim, and the “father” an actor.
In additional footage, Orr, a Cambridge University theologian, appears to discuss arrangements for the U.S. donor to fund opinion polls commissioned by Reform UK. He stated, “we just don’t have British-resident donors, British entities, that would support us.”
U.K. electoral law stipulates that political parties may only accept donations from British voters or U.K.-registered businesses. The allegations come as Reform’s annual conference takes place in Birmingham, central England.
Farage insisted that the party had not violated any rules or accepted “dodgy money,” accusing the filmmakers of orchestrating an “entrapment” scheme. He referred to Verbatim as an offshoot of foreign-funded climate activists, indicating that the group operates under grants and donations.
“They got a couple of our contractors to say things that perhaps should not have been said,” Farage told radio station LBC. “And as a result of that, you know, they have been removed this morning. And yeah, you know, I’m not happy about it.”
The governing Labour Party and opposition Liberal Democrats have reported the claims to London’s Metropolitan Police. The Electoral Commission, which oversees U.K. elections, is reportedly “considering all relevant information, in line with our regulatory remit, and we are in touch with the Met Police.”
Founded in 2018 as the Brexit Party to advocate for a hard break from the European Union, Reform UK has expanded rapidly in membership and support since rebranding in 2021, focusing on its anti-establishment, anti-immigration message.
Despite holding just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, the party has frequently led opinion polls and was notably successful in local elections in May, prompting Labour to replace then-leader Keir Starmer with new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
However, Reform has experienced setbacks, losing several special elections amid ongoing questions regarding funding. Farage resigned his House of Commons seat in July while under investigation for an undeclared £5 million gift received from a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire in 2024, before he assumed his parliamentary role.
Farage has expressed intentions to run for reelection, emphasizing that he would let voters be the judge of his actions. He secured an August election victory, although critics dismissed it as a stunt and noted that all other major parties boycotted the vote.
