News Desk
Britain’s populist Reform UK said two senior aides to leader Nigel Farage stepped down on Friday after an undercover investigation alleged the party had broken electoral law by arranging for a foreign donor to pay for political polling. Reform denied any wrongdoing and said it had been the victim of a hoax perpetrated by climate activists. The governing Labour Party wrote to the police asking them to investigate possible criminal offences, including an alleged proposal to channel a larger overseas donation through a UK intermediary.
The investigation, broadcast by public British broadcaster Channel 4 just as Reform’s annual conference opened, said two senior figures in Reform had arranged for a U.S. company to pay more than £30,000 ($40,000) for three opinion polls commissioned by the party. Such an arrangement could breach British laws on political funding, which ban foreign donations. Posing as wealthy donors from the United States with British connections, the investigative group Verbatim spent a year speaking to top officials in Reform about possible donations, culminating in a lunch with Farage. Verbatim, founded by journalists from the Centre for Climate Reporting, verified their findings, including covertly filmed footage of meetings.
Nigel Farage, a Trump ally and former Brexit campaigner, denied any wrongdoing, stating the party had broken no laws. However, Reform’s poll lead has faltered amid allegations of undeclared donor funding. The party announced an internal investigation and that two officials—head of policy James Orr and Farage’s right-hand man Dan Jukes—had stepped down pending its results. Orr, a philosophy professor at the University of Cambridge and friend of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, claimed in a video on X that the polls were independent and not commissioned by Reform.
The latest accusations come amid the first public day of Reform’s annual conference, which Farage hoped would restore his party’s momentum after a difficult summer. Farage is under parliamentary investigation over a £5 million donation from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne in 2024. Labour has also alleged further possible breaches in the documentary, including discussions about channelling a U.S.-based donation through a UK intermediary and past similar methods.
Reform’s spokesperson dismissed the allegations as a hoax perpetrated by foreign-funded climate activists. The Electoral Commission, which regulates political finance in Britain, stated it is considering the allegations and in touch with the Metropolitan Police. Farage denied any wrongdoing but acknowledged that Jukes and Orr had made inappropriate statements about potential donations.
Source: NBC News
