Senior Reform UK Figures Step Down Amid Alleged Electoral Law Breach
By Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskill
Reform UK Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Foreign Donations
BIRMINGHAM, England, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Britain's populist Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, said on Friday two senior members had stepped down temporarily after an undercover investigation alleged it 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.
Details of the Undercover Investigation
The investigation, broadcast by 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 for three opinion polls commissioned by the party.
Such an arrangement could breach British laws on political funding, which ban foreign donations.
The Role of Verbatim and Channel 4
The donors behind the U.S. company were actually an undercover team from an investigative group called Verbatim.
Channel 4 said Verbatim was an independent organisation founded by journalists from the Centre for Climate Reporting, but that it had verified their findings, which included covertly filmed footage of meetings.
Reform Officials Step Down Pending Investigation
REFORM OFFICIALS STEP DOWN PENDING INVESTIGATION
Reform announced an internal investigation and said the two officials featured in the undercover filming had stepped down pending the results of that inquiry.
Statements from Reform UK
Reform's head of policy James Orr, who was one of those filmed by the group, said in a video on X that Reform had not been involved in commissioning the poll.
"There's absolutely no way this could amount to a benefit or donation in kind at all," he said.
"It wasn't internal party polling. It wasn't Reform UK's poll. It was a public poll arranged by an independent person paying an independent pollster, and those polls were published immediately for the general public."
Context: Annual Conference and Previous Allegations
The latest accusations over donations come on the first public day of the party’s annual conference, which its leader, veteran Brexit campaigner Farage, had hoped would offer him a chance of a reset after a difficult summer.
Farage, 62, is being investigated by a parliamentary watchdog over a £5 million donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in 2024. He denies any wrongdoing but has seen support for his party soften in recent weeks.
Labour Allege Further Possible Breaches
LABOUR ALLEGE FURTHER POSSIBLE BREACHES
In a letter to the Metropolitan police, Labour said the documentary contained two further possible breaches: discussion of channeling a donation from the U.S.-based donor through a UK-based son and the suggestion that similar methods have been used in the past.
Reform and Official Responses
A spokesperson for Reform said:
"Reform UK has been the target of a hoax perpetuated by foreign-funded, climate change activists posing as would-be party donors. The party denies any wrongdoing.
"Reform UK has a robust vetting process for prospective donors approved by the Electoral Commission."
Police and Electoral Commission Statements
The Metropolitan Police said it was aware of the allegations in the broadcast and would assess any information provided to them. This did not amount to the formal launch of an investigation.
The Electoral Commission, which oversees and regulates political finance in Britain, said:
"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."
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Andrew MacAskill in Birmingham, writing by William James; Editing by Andrew Heavens)