Police are understood to be probing £500,000 of donations to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell, mum of Nigel Farage ally and convicted fraudster George Cottrell, to determine if she was the original source of the funds
Police are reportedly investigating donations totalling £500,000 made to Reform UK by the mum of a convicted fraudster.
Detectives are understood to be probing two payments of £250,000 by Fiona Cottrell, whose son George is a key ally of Nigel Farage. It is reported that investigators are looking at whether the true source of the money was concealed and if the sum came from an impermissible donor. This could include people who are not registered to vote in the UK and companies based overseas. Political parties are legally obliged not to accept money from such sources.
Data from the Electoral Commission shows Mrs Cottrell, 67, made two £250,000 donations to Reform UK ahead of the general election. These were registered on May 9 and 29 2024. They were the first political donations made in her name, and last year she donated a further £250,000.
The matter was referred to police by the Electoral Commission, The Times and The Guardian report. The Met said in a statement: “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 Enquiry 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 the Electoral Commission can investigate and, as such, it is a matter for the police.”
The legislation referred to in the statement makes it an offence to conceal or disguise the person or entity behind a political donation. The Electoral Commission said: “The Metropolitan Police Service have issued a statement about an ongoing police investigation. We have no further comment.”
The Times reports Mrs Cottrell, who briefly dated the future King Charles in the 1970s, described herself as a “retired stylist” in a 2023 legal document. Her late husband’s estate was valued at around £1.5million, it is reported, with the newspaper stating it is unclear how she built up the funds handed to Reform.
On top of that, in 2024 she donated £1million to Reform fundraising vehicle Britain Means Business, run by Reform deputy leader Richard Tice, The Guardian reported this week. The National Crime Agency was reportedly not satisfied Mrs Cotterell was the original source of the funds, it was reported.
Mr Tice said he had not been aware of the police investigation into the donations – but hit out at the information becoming public.
He told Times Radio: “No, that’s absolutely the first time I’ve heard of this investigation. And isn’t it a coincidence that it’s suddenly been leaked out the same week as all the stuff’s come out of the National Crime Agency.
“I spoke in the House of Commons yesterday. The fact that my own company bank statements, my own transfers, my own personal discussions with my own bank managers has been leaked by the National Crime Agency to The Guardian, which is a criminal offence by people or persons at the National Crime Agency in which we are, we are asking questions from the director general of the NCA.
“This is all a politically motivated smear campaign. It’s outrageous. And I’m afraid, in a sense, it’s all this stuff, which is why Nigel has said enough is enough. I’m done with this. I’m going to take it to the good people of Clacton-on-the-Sea. This is not a coincidence.”
It comes days after Nigel Farage was reported to Parliament’s standards watchdog after allegedly failing to declare financial benefits he received from Mrs Cottrell’s son. George Cottrell, a convicted criminal who offered to launder drug money, provided staffing, security and housing to the Reform leader in the year before he became an MP.
Mr Cottrell – a rich aristocrat known as “Posh George” – avoided 20 years in prison in the US after striking a plea deal. He was sentenced to eight months in jail in 2017 after admitting to one count of wire fraud, having initially been indicted on 21 offences.
Using the alias “Bill”, he presented himself as someone prepared to move criminal proceeds, including drug money, through the dark web. Reform UK denied that its leader breached the code of conduct. His lawyers said they categorically deny allegations, first published in the Sunday Times, that he provided undeclared financial support to Mr Farage.
It comes as Mr Farage navigates a tricky by-election – which will pit him against famous parody candidate Count Binface. He announced he was stepping down as an MP on Tuesday to let voters decide on his record.
The Reform chief is facing a probe by the standards commissioner over a £5million ‘gift’ he accepted by crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, but did not declare. Mr Farage accepted the money ahead of the 2024 general election, before he announced he would stand to be an MP.
He said initially the money would pay for his security, before branding it a reward for campaigning for Brexit in a separate interview. If the commissioner finds he has broken Parliamentary rules, he could face a suspension – an outcome that could potentially trigger a by-election.
Labour chair Anna Turley said: “Nigel Farage can run against a bin in his distraction by-election, but he can’t hide from legitimate questions. Why did the mother of the convicted criminal who secretly bankrolled him donate half a million pounds to Reform UK? Where did the money come from?
“Why did George Cottrell have such a prominent role in his operation without having an actual job? It’s right that the Metropolitan Police are looking into this.
“The British public know when they’re being taken for fools – if Nigel Farage could clear his name, he would have done it by now.”
It is believed that the investigation into the £5million ‘gift’ will resume if Mr Farage returns to Parliament last month. He insists he did nothing wrong, and said in a speech on Tuesday: “It seems to me that the establishment have now decided that they can’t beat us fairly, so they’ve chosen to use foul means.”
Mrs Cottrell refused to comment when approached by The Times and The Guardian. The Mirror has contacted Reform UK.