Reform UK: £72 million in donations, Robert Jenrick's statement and police investigation
Reform UK has found itself at the centre of a dispute over the legality of £72 million in donations from two cryptocurrency billionaires. The party says the money fully complies with the law, while London police have launched a criminal investigation on suspicion of breaching foreign funding laws.
Sources
· 10Дженрик: пожертвования Reform UK на £72 млн соответствуют закону
1Полиция Лондона начала уголовное расследование пожертвований Reform UK
2Помощник Фараджа предложил схему обхода закона о пожертвованиях
3Два высокопоставленных чиновника Reform UK ушли в отставку после репортажа Channel 4 о пожертвованиях
4Бен Дело пожертвовал Reform UK рекордные £36 млн
5Фараж заявил, что «не слушал» разговор о зарубежных пожертвованиях
6Помощники Reform UK ушли после расследования Channel 4 о пожертвованиях
7Restore Britain refunds crypto project's donations
8Ben Delo - Wikipedia
9MPs demand temporary ban on crypto donations to UK parties
10Key points
- Robert Jenrick said that Reform UK's £72 million in donations from two cryptocurrency billionaires “fully comply with the law.”
- London police have launched a criminal investigation into Reform UK on suspicion of breaching foreign funding laws.
- Undercover filming by Channel 4 News showed how senior party aide Dan Jukes proposed a way to circumvent electoral law for a foreign donation of £500,000.
- The government is seeking to restrict donations from British expats to £100,000, with retroactive effect from 25 March.
What happened
Meanwhile, London police launched a criminal investigation into Reform UK on suspicion of breaching foreign funding laws. The investigation was prompted by a Channel 4 News report in which undercover journalists recorded two senior party officials discussing ways to circumvent donation rules. In the footage, senior Reform UK aide Dan Jukes proposed a way to circumvent electoral law to obtain a foreign donation of £500,000.
Why it matters
The government is seeking to restrict donations from British expats to £100,000, with retroactive effect from 25 March. Cryptocurrency donations to UK parties are not currently illegal. Last month the government said it would legislate to ban crypto donations to political parties. Parliament's National Security Committee called for a temporary moratorium on crypto donations to parties until rules are developed.
What changed
Earlier, two senior Reform UK officials — Dan Jukes and James Orr — stepped down pending an internal investigation after the Channel 4 News report. Then Ben Delo donated a record £36 million to Reform UK — the largest single donation ever made to a UK political party.
Who's affected
Ben Delo is a co-founder of BitMEX; in 2022 he pleaded guilty to violating the US Bank Secrecy Act and was sentenced to 30 months of probation, and in 2025 he was pardoned by President Donald Trump. The party launched an internal investigation into Jukes and James Orr; Reform UK denies wrongdoing and says it was the victim of entrapment.
Earlier
- Nigel Farage said he “frankly didn't listen” to the conversation between his former chief of staff and an undercover journalist about a scheme to transfer foreign money.
- Both Reform UK aides resigned after the Channel 4 investigation; Farage called their remarks “empty bluster” and said the party had done nothing unlawful.
- Labour and the Liberal Democrats contacted London police about the allegations shown in the Channel 4 News report.