Nigel Farage was just being polite to potential donors, insists Robert Jenrick amid undercover sting row
Reform's Treasury spokesperson told LBC that Nigel Farage was simply acting as a party leader in hidden camera donations sting
Nigel Farage was just being polite to people he believed to be potential donors, Robert Jenrick told LBC’s Matthew Wright amid the ongoing row over Reform donations.
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Speaking to LBC on Saturday morning, Mr Jenrick said that the leader of Reform UK celebrated positive polling, but did nothing other than take potential donors out to lunch.
“He didn't know what was going on,” said the Reform UK Treasury spokesperson. “Let's be very clear. What did happen was he went out for lunch with some people who were offering to donate to the party, and he was polite to them.
“That's what you would expect, and [what] party leaders have to do all the time.”
This statement comes after Mr Farage was caught by an undercover reporting team appearing to celebrate an arrangement for a British man to donate to the party via funds provided by his American father. It is illegal for parties to accept donations from outside of the UK.
Read more: Farage to close Reform conference again amid donations row
‘He went to lunch with potential donors, and he was polite to them. That’s what you’d expect.’@RobertJenrick defends Nigel Farage over his involvement in Reform's donation scandal. pic.twitter.com/caH9Yi0DOe
— LBC (@LBC) September 5, 2026
Mr Farage previously told LBC’s Nick Ferrari: “The party has broken no laws. The party has taken no dodgy money.” He accused the undercover reporters of engaging in “entrapment.”
When asked for comment, Reform UK pointed LBC to Mr Farage’s previous statements on the donations row.
Matthew pushed back on Mr Jenrick, saying: “It was a very strange comment at the end because it certainly gave the very strong impression he knew exactly what was going on and he was very happy with the result.”
To which Mr Jenrick responded: “No, Nigel didn't know anything about this. What he said was that these people had commissioned some polls that appeared on the front page of newspapers and that had an effect.”
Mr Farage was not the only person to interact with the undercover reporters.
Two Reform members and close allies of Mr Farage, Dan Jukes, a long-serving aide, and James Orr, the party’s head of policy, have stood down pending an internal investigation after being caught on camera discussing an arrangement for an American to fund party polling.
Accepting donations from a foreign company, including donations in kind such as polling, could constitute a criminal offence, and the party has been reported to the police.
Mr Farage was already facing scrutiny about Reform donations and over a personal £5 million gift he was given by a wealthy crypto investor.