Explosive Channel 4 investigation exposes secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations
The Liberal Democrats have written to the police, urging a criminal investigation into Reform UK. Their intervention follows Channel 4 News investigation into a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations.- a clear breach of electoral law.
Channel 4 News, working with investigative group Verbatim, found that Reform UK arranged for a US company to pay £32,500 for three political polls commissioned by the party. These polls later appeared in The Telegraph and The Times without any disclosure that Reform UK had commissioned them or that foreign money had funded them. Under UK law, foreign companies cannot finance political parties or pay for research on their behalf.
“This scandal goes right to the top of Reform UK. Nigel Farage needs to urgently prove today that his top team haven’t broken the law and secretly plotted to undermine our democracy. It’s not just Farage’s secret £5 million “gift”. Time and again he and his mates think the rules don’t apply to them. The sleaze and scandal now engulfing him and his Party isn’t going away – it’s getting worse”
Labour Party spokesperson
Senior Reform figures James Orr, the party’s Head of Policy, and Dan Jukes, Farage’s close aide, facilitated the payments. They described the polling as “clandestine projects” that were valuable precisely because they did not appear in public records. Neither man knew the supposed donors were undercover reporters posing as a wealthy American financier and his UK‑based son.
“Bang for buck”
In July, after the polls were published, Farage met the undercover team in his Clacton constituency. Believing them to be genuine donors, he praised the polling as “amazing” and “bang for buck.” When the reporters outlined a plan for a much larger £500,000 donation — with the UK‑based son declared as donor despite the funds originating from the US – Farage responded with thanks and said “it’s all above board,” even though such an arrangement would be illegal.
“These very serious claims should be fully investigated by the Electoral Commission and the police. There are millions of reasons why Nigel Farage is happy to take money from billionaires, climate science deniers and secret foreign backers, and not one of them is because he has any interest in improving people’s lives”
Zack Polanski
Legal experts consulted by Channel 4 News say the evidence suggests serious criminal offences, including attempts to evade donation rules and conceal impermissible foreign funding. Bob Posner, former head of the Electoral Commission, said the findings clearly warrant a police investigation.
The Liberal Democrats’ decision to contact the police adds to mounting political pressure. Labour has also said it intends to refer Reform UK to law enforcement over the alleged foreign-funded polling. The LibDems argue that the undercover footage shows a pattern of behaviour where Reform UK treats electoral law as optional.
The investigation comes amid wider scrutiny of Farage’s finances. This includes questions over a £5 million “unconditional gift” from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Reform UK denies all wrongdoing, calling the undercover operation a politically motivated hoax.