Met Police opens criminal probe into Reform UK donations

September 9, 2026 at 06:45 PM2 min

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The Metropolitan Police has opened a criminal investigation into Reform UK over alleged breaches of foreign funding laws. The probe follows a Channel 4 News broadcast in which undercover reporters recorded two senior party aides discussing ways to circumvent donation rules. The investigation is being folded into an existing inquiry into other donations to the party.

Key Facts

The Metropolitan Police's Special Enquiry Team is conducting the criminal investigation into Reform UK.
Channel 4 News and Verbatim Investigations aired the undercover footage on Thursday evening.
Reform UK chief of staff Dan Jukes and head of policy James Orr left the party after the broadcast.
Electoral law requires UK political party donors to be registered UK voters or UK-registered companies.

The Investigation

The Metropolitan Police is carrying out a criminal investigation into Reform UK over allegations it broke foreign funding laws. The investigation by the Met's Special Enquiry Team is being folded into an inquiry that has been under way into other donations to the party. A Met spokesperson said detectives are seeking to obtain footage relating to the Channel 4 News broadcast. The Met said all allegations under investigation relate to potential offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

Undercover Footage

An undercover reporter recorded two senior Reform aides apparently suggesting a way around electoral law to secure foreign party donations, one of which would have totalled £500,000. In the news report, an undercover investigator posing as the son of an American donor is recorded raising a concern that his father wouldn't be able to directly donate to the party within the law. Jukes appears to suggest that the donation could be in the UK-based son's name, although the money would have come from his American father. James Orr, the party's head of policy, suggests that the father could pay for opinion polling to support one of Reform's campaigns.

Party Response

A Reform UK spokesman said the party denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation. Nigel Farage told the BBC he 'frankly wasn't listening' to the discussion about the potential donation. Farage dismissed the comments made by his aide in the film as 'loose pub talk including a couple of boasts that simply were not true'. Jukes has denied any wrongdoing and said he had stepped back from politics in order to clear his name.