The Metropolitan Police has launched a formal criminal investigation into Reform UK over potentially illegal foreign donations after top party officials were filmed facilitating the acceptance of payments via a middle man.
Detectives will look into the party’s funding following the undercover sting operation by Channel 4 News.
The police were called to act by opposition parties including Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Reform UK suspended both its former policy chief Dr James Orr and Dan Jukes, a close ally of Nigel Farage, pending an investigation after the two were filmed in the investigation.
Orr was filmed organising a £32,500 payment to the polling company JL Partners made by undercover journalists posing as supporters, which later published research that revealed a Reform lead over Labour.
Jukes also appeared to suggest that Reform UK received payments from foreign benefactors, though Farage later said that the speech was redacted in tapes as Jukes’ claims were untrue.
Farage said over the weekend that the party had not taken any illegal cash and said Orr and Jukes’ information provided to undercover journalists represented “loose pub talk”. Reform UK has denied wrongdoing.
‘Potential offences’ by Reform UK
A Met spokesman said: “Following a broadcast by Channel 4 News on Thursday, September 3, the Met received a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party.
“Detectives have assessed the information provided and determined that there are potential offences requiring investigation. The potential offences are similar in nature to matters already under investigation by the Met’s Special Enquiry Team relating to donations made to the same political party. As a result, these matters will form part of that ongoing investigation.
“All allegations under investigation relate to potential offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
“As part of enquiries, detectives are seeking to obtain relevant footage relating to the broadcast on Thursday, September 3.”