Reform UK Suspends Senior Officials Following Foreign Donation Sting at Annual Conference

Undercover footage and staff departures

Reform UK removed two senior officials on Friday after undercover recordings showed them discussing methods to accept foreign financial backing. Dan Jukes, chief of staff and long-term aide to party leader Nigel Farage, along with policy director James Orr, left their roles pending an internal investigation. The footage, recorded by investigative group Verbatim and broadcast by Channel 4 News on Thursday, showed Jukes at a lunch discussing a plan to funnel a £500,000 donation ($675,000) from an American financier through his British-based son. In separate clips, Orr, a Cambridge University theologian, discussed having the American backer pay for party opinion polling.

Farage addressed the departures during an interview on LBC radio on Friday morning.

They got a couple of our contractors to say things that perhaps shouldn't have been said. And as a result of that, you know, they've been moved aside this morning. And yes, you know, I'm not happy about this.

Regulatory review and police complaints

Under British electoral law, political parties may only accept donations from registered United Kingdom voters or UK-registered companies. Both the governing Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats submitted formal complaints to the Metropolitan Police regarding the footage. The Electoral Commission confirmed it is reviewing all relevant information under its regulatory remit and remains in direct contact with police authorities. Farage insisted the party accepted no illegal funds, dismissing Jukes's references to prior donor arrangements as loose pub talk and attributing the investigation to foreign-funded climate campaigners.

Speaking to ITV during the conference, Farage said the scrutiny from political opponents and authorities would continue.

Come back and see me in six months, there'll be 5 more investigations. It won't end. This won't end.

Disrupted conference agenda

The disclosures unfolded during Reform UK's annual conference in Birmingham, which had been organized to present the party's platform for its first 100 days in office. Security concerns delayed Farage's Friday keynote address by more than an hour, while media coverage focused on the video sting and an undeclared £5 million gift Farage received from a wealthy donor. In an interview with the BBC, Farage stated that his family had asked him to step down from politics because of escalating pressure. He also maintained that he was not paying attention during the lunch recorded by Verbatim.

I am not a compliance officer. I was in the middle of canvassing in the Clacton by-election. I turn up. I frankly wasn't even listening.

Economic policy and party expansion

Despite the fallout, Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick presented economic proposals on Saturday, pledging to raise the tax-free personal allowance from £12,570 to £15,000 within 100 days of taking government. The party estimated the policy would cost £17.7 billion in its first year and £21 billion after five years, saving typical taxpayers £500 annually while removing 2.9 million workers from income tax rolls. The policy announcement comes as the party integrates high-profile defectors, including Jenrick and former cabinet minister Suella Braverman, while navigating a July YouGov poll showing lower voter support among women compared to male voters.