Nigel Farage’s convicted fraudster pal ‘posh George’ confronted by the Mirror over police probe
Nigel Farage’s convicted fraudster pal George Cottrell has been confronted by the Mirror over Scotland Yard’s probe into his mum’s donations to Reform UK.
We tracked down the 32-year-old, known as “Posh George”, at his multi-million pound London pad near Buckingham Palace. Weeks after a scandal emerged over Cottrell allegedly secretly bankrolling Mr Farage before he was elected to Parliament, our reporter questioned him as he made a swift exit.
But elusive Cottrell, who has reportedly been interviewed by police under caution over the investigation into his mum’s donations, remained tight-lipped when we approached him as he left the luxury townhouse. Scotland Yard is probing £500,000 of donations allegedly made by Fiona Cottrell to Reform UK before the General Election.
Asked whether he was worried about the police probe, Cottrell – who is said to have sometimes referred to Mr Farage “daddy” – did not respond on Friday as he was whisked away in a Range Rover. It comes as Mr Farage, who faces a Parliamentary Standards Commissioner probe over a £5million gift he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP, was re-elected in Clacton this month.
MPs are returning to the Commons next week after summer recess, with Reform UK also hosting its annual conference in Birmingham. Amid mounting scrutiny over his finances, the Reform leader had resigned his seat, triggering a by-election – claiming “the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions”.
Last month, it emerged the Metropolitan Police were investigating two £250,000 donations reportedly made to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell. The May 2024 donations were under investigation over whether the funds were intended to conceal a donation by an impermissible donor, the Guardian reported.
The Met said last month: “An investigation was launched in February 2025 after a referral was made to the Metropolitan police by the Electoral Commission relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK general election. Detectives from the Met’s special inquiry team are investigating alleged offences under Section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
“Early investigative advice has been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service and two people have so far been interviewed under caution. No arrests have been made. An offence under this section is not one that the Electoral Commission can investigate and, as such, it is a matter for the police.” Contacted by the Mirror, the Met Police said there was no update.
Late last month, it was claimed George Cottrell transferred over $2million (£1.47m) to his mum in the days before her suspected donations to Reform UK in 2024. Fiona Cottrell received one deposit of $1.4million (£1m) and two tranches of over $300,000 (£221,500) each, sources told the Guardian.
When bankers asked about the deposits, she is alleged to have attributed it to having come from her son George. Mrs Cottrell, who once dated King Charles, has reportedly not responded to questions from the media on her support for Reform.
George Cottrell’s lawyers have previously reportedly said that “his mother’s donations have been entirely her own decision, and are a matter for her”. Suggestions that he “has donated impermissibly to Reform UK are unfounded”, they added.
George Cottrell, who lives in Montenegro, has served time in the US for wire fraud. In early July, an investigation revealed Mr Farage failed to disclose that George Cottrell funded his operation in the year before his election to Parliament.
The Reform leader accepted security, drivers, staff and accommodation paid for by him, the Sunday Times reported. Mr Farage told the publication he did not need to disclose the pre-election support as it predated his decision to run for parliament. And George Cottrell said he expected nothing in return for his support.
