Nigel Farage faces yet another headache after the Met confirmed today that it will launch a criminal investigation into allegations that Reform breached donation rules. The force said detectives will conduct a full inquiry into claims aired in the Channel 4 News sting.
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.’
Responding, a Reform spokesperson said:
Reform UK denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation. We won’t be commenting further while a live investigation is underway.
In the Channel 4 report, Farage’s close aide Dan Jukes appears to attempt to secure an impermissible £500,000 donation from an undercover journalist. The party’s former head of policy, James Orr, persuaded the reporter to cough up £32,500 for Reform to commission a poll, despite appearing to know that the money came from a prohibited donor.
Farage is categorical that there was no wrongdoing on the part of Reform, insisting that the party was the victim of a left-wing hoax and entrapment.
The investigation comes as new polling from Freshwater Strategy shows that 70 per cent of voters are aware of the new allegations against Reform. Of those, 62 per cent say they reflect a genuine problem with how the party is run, while 26 per cent believe the story has been exaggerated. Meanwhile, 49 per cent say Reform has a bigger problem with standards and money than other parties, compared with 41 per cent who think it is no worse.
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