Two senior Reform UK officials step down after undercover sting over foreign donations
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Two Reform UK officials who were caught up in an undercover sting have stepped down from their roles in the party.
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Senior aide to Nigel Farage Dan Jukes and Reform's Head of Policy, James Orr have both left their roles, the party confirmed this morning. Reform denies any wrongdoing.
A Reform UK spokesman said: "Reform UK has launched an investigation following the broadcast of a Channel 4 News programme.
"Both individuals involved have stepped down from their respective positions pending the outcome of the investigation.
"The party believes it is important that the investigation is allowed to proceed independently and without prejudice. No further comment will be made while the investigation is ongoing."
Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson said this morning that there is “no chance” of the pair returning to the party.
Nigel Farage has told LBC that "no illegal transaction occurred" and insisted everything was “above board".
Mr Jukes was filmed meeting a man posing as the British-based son of a rich American businessman in an undercover report by Channel 4. Mr Orr was also filmed meeting an undercover reporter to discuss party funding.
Mr Jukes told the undercover reporter that the donation for polling, seemingly paid to the consultancy JL Partners, was an “amazing sweet spot” that allowed the polls to be paid for without showing up in the “public records”.
Mr Orr said in the film that details of the arrangement would be kept at arm’s length from Nigel Farage.
He said: “I wouldn’t breathe a word of this to anybody. Nigel doesn’t know, won’t know. It’s the kind of thing he would rather not know.”
Rival parties have reported Reform to the police over the claims they took funding from a US firm for three polls it commissioned earlier this year costing £32,500.
Read more: Reform UK reported to police after Channel 4 'foreign donation' sting investigation
The purported donors were in fact undercover reporters from investigative group Verbatim posing as an American financier and his UK-based son.
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.
A Met Police spokesman said: "We’re aware of media reporting involving political party donations and an alleged breach of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 relating to polling. We will assess this matter and any information provided to us.”
An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: "We are considering all relevant information, in line with our regulatory remit, and we are in touch with the Met Police.
"The Electoral Commission has not approved the donor vetting process for Reform, or any other party. Parties are responsible for ensuring their internal processes and controls are fit for purpose.
"We provide advice and guidance to political parties on how to comply with electoral law.
“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."
Labour Party chairwoman Bridget Phillipson has called on Mr Farage and his team to “urgently prove” that they had not “broken the law and secretly plotted to undermine our democracy”.
In a letter to the Metropolitan Police, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart said the allegations raised “alarming questions about whether there has been a wider complacency toward foreign interference by the individuals involved”.
Reform has denied any wrongdoing and insisted it has a “robust vetting process” for donors.
Channel 4’s report comes as Reform members gather in Birmingham for the party’s annual conference, billed as setting out the party’s plans for its first 100 days in office should it win the next election.
Mr Farage is expected to give the first of his two conference speeches on Friday afternoon, in which he will promise to declare a “national emergency” on his first day in government, introducing a flood of legislation and doing “anything and everything” to deliver his party’s policies.
He will say: “Within days of winning the general election, we will introduce dozens of Bills and force Parliament to sit all through summer for seven days a week to pass them.
“Britain is in serious trouble. We don’t have time to wait around to fix it.”
The two-day conference in Birmingham is expected to hear from other senior Reform figures setting out their own pledges for their first 100 days in office, as well as an address from Jordan Bardella, leader of the French National Rally.
Mr Farage is expected to announce that any frontbenchers who fail to deliver on their pledges “will be sacked”.
He is also due to make his own promise to focus on reducing the cost of living and lead on efforts to end small boat crossings in the Channel.
This summer saw the lowest number of crossings in six years, while the overall number for the year is at its lowest since 2021, but the subject remains a key issue with 16,513 people making the journey so far this year.
Meanwhile, party deputy leader Richard Tice is expected to promise to cut environmental levies from energy bills when he makes his own address to the conference on Friday.
By cutting taxes on gas generators, permanently removing VAT from energy bills and scrapping policies including the renewables obligation, feed-in tariffs and the warm homes discount, he will promise to reduce household energy bills by £250.
While last year’s Reform conference saw the party enjoying a commanding lead in the polls, its position has slipped in recent months amid questions about its finances and a Clacton by-election boycotted by other parties.
Since Andy Burnham came to power in July, several polls have seen Labour regain a narrow lead over Reform, while a YouGov survey earlier this week found six in 10 Britons feel Reform is untrustworthy.
Mr Farage himself remains under investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over his failure to declare a £5 million gift from a Thai-based cryptocurrency billionaire prior to his election in 2024.
The Reform leader has insisted the donation was not declarable, claiming it did not relate to his political activities.
Labour’s Ms Phillipson said: “If Farage can’t get his own house in order, he simply can’t be trusted to address the issues the country faces.”