Police set to interview Farage over Reform donations

Nigel Farage is likely to be interviewed as part of the police investigation into Reform UK’s donations, The i Paper understands. The Met Police has launched an investigation after the Reform leader and other senior party figures were filmed undercover allegedly welcoming foreign donations which may have breached electoral law. Foreign political donations are banned in the UK, and it is illegal to conceal that a donation has come from an impermissible source. Farage, who denies any wrongdoing, has said he “frankly wasn’t listening” during a conversation with his former chief of staff Dan Jukes and an undercover reporter discussing an apparent scheme to funnel foreign money to the party. He told the BBC at the weekend: “I am not a compliance officer. I was in the middle of canvassing in the Clacton by-election. I turn up. I frankly wasn’t even listening.” A Reform spokesman said the party has not done anything wrong and that it will “fully co-operate” with the police probe. They dismissed the idea that Farage could be interviewed as “pure speculation”. Being interviewed by the police does not mean an individual is a suspect in a crime. Officers may seek information from key witnesses through formal interviews. The sting led to two figures at the heart of Reform’s operation – Farage’s long-standing aide Jukes, and head of policy James Orr – standing down pending the outcome of the party’s own investigation. Reform’s former head of policy James Orr also stepped back from his role following the undercover sting (Photo: Leon Neal/Getty) While the Met Police investigation is expected to focus on Jukes and Orr first, the Reform leader will probably be questioned after being caught up in the Channel 4 and Verbatim sting, The i Paper understands. This is because he is present in footage which shows an apparent conversation in which it is suggested a US donor would give £500,000 to Reform through his UK-based son. Channel 4 News said that the proposed donation was never made. The undercover reporter posed as the son of a wealthy American for the sting, and an actor was hired to play his father. The allegations will form part of Scotland Yard’s wider investigation into other donations to the party. Police are already examining payments to Reform by a company controlled by the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice and separately donations from Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell, who has close links to Farage. Police are also investigating donations to the party from Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell – pictured with Farage – who is a close ally of the Reform leader (Photo: John Thys/Getty Images Police are examining payments to Reform by a company controlled by the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice (Photo: Will Colebourne/PA) Police are expected to examine the alleged attempt to funnel cash from an American via a UK-based donor and two other lines of inquiry. Officers are set to examine footage in which Jukes appeared to suggest similar techniques to secure foreign money for the party had been used before. Part of the exchange was bleeped out in the Channel 4 News report. The footage shown on Channel 4 News appeared to show senior Reform figures arranging for a US company to fund three influential polls, costing £32,500, which were published in the media – without making it clear that party figures had commissioned the surveys themselves. It is understood officers will look at whether this is a criminal matter. Farage dismissed Juke’s secretly-recorded comments in the Channel 4 News investigation as “loose pub talk” but acknowledged they were “problematic”. He said Reform has taken “no illegal money”. “Donations from the names that were mentioned have not occurred, don’t exist… in our accounts,” he added. Last week, Jukes said: “This was entrapment over a prolonged period of nearly a year by foreign-funded climate change activists. “I totally deny any wrongdoing but have stepped back from politics in order to clear my name.” The law on foreign political donations Foreign donations are banned under UK electoral law. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 states that parties can accept donations or loans with no upper limit if they come from a “permissible source”. Foreign nationals are not included on the list of permissible sources and it is a criminal offence to accept, facilitate or disguise an impermissible donation. However, there are still several ways in which foreign money can enter UK politics. For example, foreign owned companies are classed as permissible donors if they are registered with Companies House, incorporated in the UK and carry on business in this country. A multinational company owned by a foreign national can legally donate if the firm meets this criteria. While the primary responsibility lies with the recipient to check a donation is permissible, the donor must also abide by the law, and must not disguise money from overseas. Both the donor and recipient of an unlawful political donation can face action for breaches of electoral law. A Met spokesperson said on Wednesday: “Following a broadcast by Channel 4 News on Thursday, 3 September, 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. “All allegations under investigation relate to potential offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. “As part of enquiries, detectives are seeking to obtain relevant footage relating to the broadcast on Thursday, 3 September. “Detectives continue to liaise closely with the Electoral Commission and Crown Prosecution Service as enquiries progress.” A spokesperson for Reform said: “Reform UK denies any wrongdoing and will fully co-operate with the investigation. We won’t be commenting further while a live investigation is under way