Escalation: Reform UK Suspends Officials Over Funding Scam

Reform UK suspended head of policy James Orr and senior aide Dan Jukes and opened an internal investigation after undercover footage aired showing them discussing ways to get around UK rules on foreign donations. In the meetings, they talked about routing a £500,000 gift from a wealthy American through his UK‑based son. The same operation showed about £30,000 of polling for Reform being paid for by the US side, with the results splashed in national newspapers.

UK law lets parties take money only from British voters or UK‑registered firms. The £30,000 polling spend was not registered with the Electoral Commission, and Labour and the Liberal Democrats reported the matter to the Metropolitan police as the elections watchdog liaised with officers.

Nigel Farage denied any wrongdoing, called the sting entrapment and said the party had taken no illegal money, describing the aides’ comments as loose pub talk. He was filmed meeting the fake donor and praising the poll as “amazing,” adding, “It worked. Boom.” The party chair said the suspended pair would not return, while the deputy leader left open the possibility they could come back after the inquiry.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources