Police launch criminal investigation into Reform UK donations

This video can not be played Watch: Undercover reporters posing as party donors meet with Nigel Farage The Metropolitan Police is carrying out a criminal investigation into Reform UK over allegations it broke foreign funding laws, following a broadcast by Channel 4 News last week. An undercover reporter recorded two senior Reform aides apparently suggesting a way around electoral law to secure foreign party donations, one of which would have totalled £500,000. The police investigation 's Special Enquiry Team is being folded into an inquiry that has been under way into other donations to the party. A Reform UK spokesman said the party "denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation". "We won't be commenting further while a live investigation is under way." A Met spokesperson said it had received "a number of reports relating to donations and polling involving a political party", after the film by Channel 4 News and Verbatim Investigations was shown on Thursday evening. In its statement, the Met Police said: "All allegations under investigation relate to potential offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000." "Detectives continue to liaise closely with the Electoral Commission and Crown Prosecution Service as enquiries progress." The police spokesperson said detectives were seeking to obtain footage relating to the broadcast. An Electoral Commission spokesperson said the Channel 4 News report included "serious allegations of wrongdoing", adding: "It is right that these are properly and thoroughly investigated . "In parallel, we are also considering all relevant information and regulatory steps." The film overshadowed the party's conference in Birmingham and led to the party losing two key figures - Dan Jukes, chief of staff to the leader Nigel Farage, and James Orr, head of policy. This video can not be played Watch: Farage senior aide filmed suggesting way to avoid donations law In the news report, an undercover investigator posing as the son of an American donor is recorded raising a concern that his father wouldn't be able to directly donate to the party within the law. Electoral law states that to be a permissible donor to a UK political party you must be a UK registered voter, or a company registered in the UK. Jukes appears to suggest that the donation could be in the UK-based son's name, although the money would have come from his American father. Elsewhere, James Orr, the party's head of policy suggests that the father could pay for opinion polling to support one of Reform's campaigns.