Two senior Reform UK aides have stepped down from their roles in the party following an investigation into illegal party donations.
Footage from Channel 4 appeared to show the party’s Head of Policy James Orr and Nigel Farage’s long-serving aide Dan Jukes arranging for a US company to fund three polls for the party costing a total of £32,500.
Party Chairman Lee Anderson has confirmed the party has launched an investigation, adding Mr Orr and Mr Jukes have been “told” to step down from their roles.
The Ashfield MP told Sky News there is “no chance” of either of them coming back into the party.
A party spokesman told GB News: “Reform UK has launched an investigation following the broadcast of a Channel 4 News programme.
“Both individuals involved have stepped down from their respective positions pending the outcome of the investigation.
“The party believes it is important that the investigation is allowed to proceed independently and without prejudice.
“No further comment will be made while the investigation is ongoing.”
Dan Jukes was caught on camera
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CHANNEL 4
The footage showed Mr Orr and Mr Jukes, appearing to commission three influential “arm’s length” polls and then organised for a US company to fund them.
Mr Farage later met with the representatives of the donor, telling them the polling was “amazing” and provided “bang for buck”, claiming: “It worked. Boom.”
However, the purported donors were in fact undercover reporters from investigative group Verbatim posing as an American financier and his UK-based son.
Foreign companies are not a permissible source of funding for parties, including for payments for studies and research, and accepting donations from them could constitute a criminal offence.
Mr Farage was caught in the footage welcoming the donation
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CHANNEL 4
Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson has called on Mr Farage and his team to “urgently prove” that they had not “broken the law and secretly plotted to undermine our democracy”.
The revelations by Channel 4 and Verbatim come amid ongoing scrutiny on funding both Mr Farage and his party have received.
Reform UK, which is holding its party conference in Birmingham, denies any wrongdoing.
The Clacton MP still faces a parliamentary investigation into whether he should have declared a £5million gift from the crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne given shortly before he was first elected to the Commons in 2024.
James Orr was caught on camera discussing the donation
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Channel 4
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey told Channel 4 News: “Let’s not pre-empt the police investigation and what the Electoral Commission find.
“But if they are found guilty, [Mr Farage] should face the full force of the law, and that could be very, very heavy fines. It could even be a prison sentence.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski added: “These very serious claims should be fully investigated by the Electoral Commission and the police.
“There are millions of reasons why Nigel Farage is happy to take money from billionaires, climate science deniers and secret foreign backers, and not one of them is because he has any interest in improving people’s lives.”
Party supporters are gathering in Birmingham
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GETTY
A Met Police spokesman said: “We’re aware of media reporting on Thursday September 3 involving political party donations and an alleged breach of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 relating to polling.
“We will assess this matter and any information provided to us.”
An Electoral Commission spokesman added: “The law requires political parties to report all permissible donations they accept with a value over £11,180 and all impermissible donations over £500.
“Information about any potential attempt to evade the controls on donations is for the police to consider.”
Nigel Farage will take to the stage later today
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REFORM UKReform said it had “been the target of a hoax perpetuated by foreign-funded, climate change activists posing as would-be party donors”.
It added: “The party denies any wrongdoing. Reform UK has a robust vetting process for prospective donors approved by the Electoral Commission.”
Mr Orr claimed that “no money reached Reform UK at all”.
“It was a public poll arranged by an independent person paying an independent pollster, and those polls were published immediately for the general public,” he said in a video posted to social media.