Reform UK Reported to Police Over Alleged Foreign Donation Scheme

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has been reported to the police over claims it tried to accept a £500,000 donation from a foreign national, according to an undercover investigation broadcast on Channel 4 News. The sting was carried out by Verbatim, an investigative group founded by journalists from the non-profit Centre for Climate Reporting. The footage allegedly shows party aides discussing ways to bypass electoral law, including hiding the donor’s identity and commissioning polling without declaring it to newspapers. The news comes as Reform UK opens its annual conference. Farage has previously suggested the party was “hoaxed” by the investigators, a claim the report’s authors reject. Under UK law, political parties cannot accept donations from foreign citizens. The police have not yet commented on whether they will open a formal investigation. In response, Farage has not resigned or called a byelection—a move he has made in the past during controversies. Instead, he has framed the report as another attempt by the political establishment to undermine him. The party has not yet issued a detailed response to the specific allegations in the broadcast.