Two Reform UK officials resign amid donation breach reports
A Channel 4 report alleges that the party officials accepted foreign donations to fund three polls, illegal under the UK's electoral law. The allegations, which the party denies, come amid its annual conference.
Reform UK's annual conference in Birmingham is currently overshadowed by a new scandal, following allegations that the party violated electoral laws by accepting foreign donations, according to a Channel 4 report. Senior officials James Orr and Dan Jukes have resigned over the allegations, and the party announced it would launch an internal investigation.
Reform UK denies wrongdoing, with leader Nigel Farage stating that no illegal activities occurred. The party is facing a popularity dip, exacerbated by a scandal involving a £5 million undeclared donation from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in 2024. Farage, who was set to address the conference, is hoping his speech will boost his popularity.
The Channel 4 investigation alleges that Orr and Jukes had arranged for a US company to pay over £30,000 for three party-commissioned opinion polls. The donors were undercover reporters from a European organization called Verbatim. The allegations come at a time when Reform UK is struggling with a decline in popularity, further compounded by the replacement of former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer with Andy Burnham as the country's prime minister.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
