Farage Aide Suggested Route for £500,000 Reform UK Donation as Party Opens Internal Probe
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 3
Farage Aide Suggested Route for £500,000 Reform UK Donation as Party Opens Internal Probe
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 3
Summary
Channel 4 footage showed Dan Jukes, a senior aide to Nigel Farage, suggesting a £500,000 donation could be routed through a UK-based son even though the money came from his American father.
UK law allows donations only from permissible donors such as registered voters or UK companies, and the Electoral Commission said any attempt to evade those controls would be a matter for police.
Nigel Farage was also filmed at a later lunch saying the arrangement was "all above board" after the undercover reporter described himself as the registered donor and his father as the source of funds.
James Orr, Reform UK's head of policy, was separately filmed suggesting the American father could cover polling costs; Channel 4 said three polls totaling £32,500 were commissioned without the funder being disclosed.
Reform UK denied wrongdoing, called the sting a hoax by foreign-funded climate activists, launched internal investigations into Jukes and Orr, and the Metropolitan Police said it would assess the reports.