Met Police Launch Criminal Probe Into Reform UK Donations, Liverpool 2026

Key Points

• The Metropolitan Police has started criminal investigations against Reform UK over claims of violations of the political donation rules involving possible unauthorized foreign funding.
• The investigations are prompted by an undercover sting featured on Channel 4 News on Thursday, September 3, 2026, where Reform top officials discussed plans to receive £500,000 from a donor based in the USA and pay for polling via funds from an unlawful donor.
• The chief spokesman Dan Jukes, who has served in the team of Reform leader Nigel Farage for many years, and James Orr, the party’s policy chief, have been removed from their positions pending an investigation by the party following their appearance in the film.
• The Metropolitan Police explained that the alleged offenses were similar to those investigated by the special taskforce dealing with the issue of donations to the same political party, and added that all allegations concerned the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
• According to British laws, donations must come from permissible donors – registered voters and businesses in the UK; foreign firms cannot be sources of financing, whether for studies, research or other purposes.
• Reform UK claims it “has done nothing wrong” and “received no illegal money”, while

Liverpool (Liverpool standard) September 09, 2026 – The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into Reform UK regarding allegations it breached donation rules, marking a significant escalation in scrutiny of the party’s funding arrangements. The Met will carry out a full inquiry into potentially illegal foreign funding after an undercover sting was published on Channel 4 last week. Detectives have assessed the information provided and determined that there are potential offences requiring investigation, with the potential offences similar in nature to matters already under investigation by the Met’s special enquiry team relating to donations made to the same political party.

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, and continue to liaise closely with the Electoral Commission and Crown Prosecution Service as enquiries progress.

What triggered the Metropolitan Police investigation into Reform UK donations?

The investigation follows a broadcast by Channel 4 News on Thursday, September 3, after which the Met received a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party. The undercover footage, produced by Verbatim Investigations and aired by Channel 4, showed senior Reform officials Dan Jukes and James Orr meeting with undercover reporters posing as prospective Reform backers from the United States. In one instance, footage showed Jukes appearing to talk about a proposal for Reform to receive a £500,000 donation from one of the men, who was presenting himself as an American financier, through his son, who he said lives in the UK. James Orr, the party’s head of policy, got the reporter to pay £32,500 for polling commissioned by Reform even though he appeared aware the source of the funds was a prohibited donor, the Times reported. 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.

Who are Dan Jukes and James Orr in the Reform UK donation scandal?

Dan Jukes is a long-serving aide of Reform leader Nigel Farage, while James Orr serves as the party’s head of policy and is an associate professor at the University of Cambridge. Both men stepped down from their roles on Friday morning pending the outcome of an internal party investigation after the Channel 4 report. Reform chairman Lee Anderson said there was “no chance” that Orr and Jukes would return to the party. Jukes has denied doing anything wrong, while Orr has told Sky News he will co-operate fully with Reform’s internal investigation. Nigel Farage told the BBC his party had “done nothing wrong” and had taken “no illegal money”, adding that “in fact no money was taken at all”. Farage also described his aides’ donor comments as “loose pub talk” in remarks to the BBC.

What does UK law say about foreign donations to political parties?

British law states that permissible donations to a UK political party must be made by UK-registered voters, or a company registered in the UK. 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. The law requires political parties to report all permissible donations they accept with a value over £11,180 and all impermissible donations over £500. In the Channel 4 film, Jukes and Orr suggest a way around electoral law to secure foreign party donations for the party, one of which would have totalled £500,000. The polling commissioned by Reform and paid for by the US donor was not attributed to Reform, and was reported in the Telegraph and the Times without those newspapers knowing that it was commissioned by the party and paid for by the US donor. The benefit in kind was also not reported to the Electoral Commission.

How have rival parties and regulators responded to the Reform UK allegations?

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have reported Reform to the Metropolitan Police over the allegations. Rival parties had reported Reform to the police over claims the party took money from a US firm for three polls it commissioned earlier in the year, costing £32,500. The Met Police did not name the party in its initial statement but confirmed the investigation related to a political party following the Channel 4 broadcast. Detectives continue to liaise closely with the Electoral Commission and Crown Prosecution Service as enquiries progress. The Metropolitan Police had already been looking into whether donations to Reform in the lead-up to the last election adhered to legal donation standards before this latest development.

Background of the Reform UK donation rules development

The current scrutiny of Reform UK’s funding arrangements builds on earlier concerns about donations to the party in the lead-up to the last general election, which the Met had already been examining. The undercover operation was carried out by Verbatim Investigations, a group founded by journalists from the Centre for Climate Reporting, with Channel 4 News verifying and broadcasting the material. The allegations emerged just before Reform UK’s party conference, where Nigel Farage was due to deliver a keynote speech that was delayed due to a security risk. Farage told the BBC his family were “begging” him to leave his job amid the scandal. The party has stated it is conducting its own internal investigation into the matters raised by the broadcast.

Prediction: How the Reform UK donation investigation could affect voters and donors

If the Metropolitan Police investigation establishes that Reform UK accepted impermissible foreign donations or failed to report benefits in kind, the party could face criminal charges, fines, and reputational damage that may influence voter trust ahead of future elections. Donors, particularly those considering large contributions, may become more cautious about the source and reporting of their gifts to avoid association with potential legal breaches. The outcome could also prompt tighter enforcement of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 and greater scrutiny of polling commissioned by parties from overseas-linked entities. For Reform UK supporters, a finding of wrongdoing could undermine confidence in the party’s compliance culture, while a clearance could reinforce its stance that it has been the target of a coordinated campaign of attacks.