Two top aides to Nigel Farage were forced to step down following an undercover sting, which appeared to show the pair discussing how to disguise donations from foreign donors
Reform was plunged into turmoil last night(FRI) as Scotland Yard said it was assessing reports that senior figures sought to evade electoral law over donations.
Two top aides to Nigel Farage were forced to step down following an undercover sting, which appeared to show the pair discussing how to disguise donations from foreign donors.
Long-standing aide Dan Jukes and policy chief James Orr left their posts, pending an internal probe, as the donations scandal threatened to engulf the party. They all deny wrongdoing.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats reported Reform to the police over a report, by Channel 4 News and undercover group Verbatim, which aired on the eve of the party’s annual conference.
But Mr Farage sought to downplay the secretly-recorded comments as “loose pub talk” as he addressed delegates in a chaotic speech beset by hecklers and delays.
He complained to party faithful that Reform had been “the subject of a highly co-ordinated campaign of attacks” by the establishment around the main parties.
Mr Farage added: “Reform has broken no law. We take compliance extremely seriously. And ask yourself, why is all of this happening? Anyone got a clue why it’s happening? Because they’re scared of us. That’s why it’s happening.”
Reform faces the possibility of probes by the police and the Electoral Commission over the allegations thrown up by the year-long undercover investigation.
The footage appeared to show Mr Jukes and Mr Orr seek to orchestrate funds from journalists posing as a wealthy American and his UK-based son. This included £32,500 for polls that made the front pages news, which Reform had allegedly commissioned.
In a meeting over oysters and wine in Clacton in July, Mr Farage was filmed celebrating the results of polls, saying it provided “bang for buck,” adding: “It worked. Boom.”
There was also allegedly a discussion of whether the US businessman could give £500,000 through a UK intermediary, which is against the law.
Foreign companies are not a permissible source of funding for parties, and accepting donations from them could constitute a criminal offence.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We’re aware of media reporting on Thursday, 3 September involving political party donations and an alleged breach of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 relating to polling.
“We will assess this matter and any information provided to us.” The force has not launched an investigation at this stage.
The Electoral Commission said: “We are considering all relevant information, in line with our regulatory remit, and we are in touch with the Met Police.”
Legal expert Joshua Rozenberg said the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000 makes it an offence to facilitate donations to a party by anybody other than a permissible donor.
He told the BBC: “If you do something to enable your party to get money from somebody who is not permitted to pay that to your party, and you do that knowingly, or if you give information to the treasurer, then you are committing a criminal offence.”
The row dominated Reform’s annual conference in Birmingham, where Mr Farage had been hoping to get on the front foot again after intense scrutiny over his finances.
But in further drama, Mr Farage’s big speech to party faithful was delayed due to security concerns after a stunt by activists disrupted a speech by his deputy Richard Tice.
Greenpeace activists deployed a remote-controlled banner depicting Mr Farage as the Monopoly man, carrying a sack of cash, with the slogan “Collect £5 million, burn the planet”.
Security officials searched under the stage with a search dog before Mr Farage finally took to the stage.
Several climate activists were then dragged out by security, after unfurling banners saying ‘REFORM WORKS FOR BILLIONAIRES’ and shouting “Nigel! You’re bankrolled by billionaires!”
One of the protesters thrown out of Nigel Farage’s speech said he had stood up to highlight corruption at the heart of Reform. The heckler, named Ed, told The Mirror he is part of a group called Resist Reform.
He said: “We just stood up in the Reform conference to highlight the corruption at the heart of the Reform Party.” He added: “So the idea was to raise people’s awareness of that and to show that that’s happening, because they talk a lot about nation and community values in that room.
“And I believe some of the people there are genuinely there because that’s what they believe, but they should know that this is a party that will flout the rules to get into power, and that just doesn’t really care about the kinds of things that would keep us as ordinary citizens that we would actually have to obey.”
Mr Jukes described the report as “entrapment over a prolonged period”, claiming the reporters were foreign funded climate activists. He said in a statement: “I totally deny any wrongdoing but have stepped back from politics in order to clear my name.”
Mr Orr told Sky News: “I have agreed to step down from my current role at Reform UK pending the outcome of the party’s internal investigation into the conduct of the programme, with which I will cooperate fully.”