Nigel Farage has acknowledged that comments made by his aides in undercover footage discussing ways to circumvent electoral law "don't look good", while insisting the party itself has broken no laws. Two senior Reform UK officials have been suspended following the release of the investigation.
The undercover operation, conducted by in partnership with Verbatim, captured footage of Reform officials discussing methods to accept a £500,000 foreign donation while evading political donation rules. In an interview with LBC this morning, Farage conceded that his aides had said things they "perhaps should not have been said" and stated he was "not happy" about the situation.
What did Farage say about the allegations?
Farage maintained that Reform UK has complied with all legal requirements and has not accepted improper funding.
The party has broken no laws. The party has not taken any dodgy money or anything like that whatsoever.He characterised the investigation as entrapment, claiming that undercover operatives worked persistently over an extended period to elicit inappropriate statements from party officials.
However, it is a clear case of entrapment, and they worked at it for a very, very long time, and they got a couple of our contractors to say things that perhaps should not have been said.
Regarding footage showing him discussing the donation with individuals posing as a father-and-son investment team, Farage argued he had sought assurances about legality.
If you listen to what I said, I said, is this all above board? Is this all legal? I've been told it was a global family office based in London. And by the way, I was in the middle of a Clacton by-election. I turned up to see people. I knew nothing about them whatsoever. I meet people all the time.He rejected any suggestion that the footage demonstrated his awareness of plans to circumvent electoral law.
What was the party's position on the polling allegations?
The investigation centred on alleged polling funded by an overseas company, with three polls costing £32,500. Farage denied that Reform UK commissioned the surveys, claiming they were conducted independently by a third party.
Whilst the poll benefited Reform, it wasn't commissioned by Reform. It had nothing to do with Reform. It was an independent third party that did it. So that's nothing. That's nothing. Polls are funded by overseas people every single week. Every single week.
However, the investigation contains footage that appears to contradict this account, with material suggesting the polls were carried out at Reform UK's behest.
Which officials have been suspended?
The two officials named as having stepped down were James Orr and Dan Jukes. Farage stated that the party had suspended them because their remarks "don't look good".
I promise you, the polling is not even an issue. Nothing. The party has not done anything wrong, but entrapped conversations don't look good, and that's why we've taken the action we have.
Dan Jukes, Farage's long-serving aide, released a statement claiming he was the victim of entrapment.
This was entrapment over a prolonged period of nearly a year by foreign-funded climate change activists. I totally deny any wrongdoing but have stepped back from politics in order to clear my name.
However, Danny Kruger, the Reform MP leading the party's preparation for government, suggested the situation may not be permanent. When asked whether Orr and Jukes had departed for good or might return, Kruger indicated the latter, stating:
My understanding is that they have been suspended pending an investigation.This contradicted earlier statements from Lee Anderson, the party chair and chief whip, who had indicated the pair had gone for good. Reform said both officials would remain stepped down pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
How has the police responded?
The Metropolitan Police said it is aware of media reporting about an alleged breach of political donation law linked to polling, but it has not launched an investigation. The force is assessing the allegations.
What has Reform UK said about the investigation being a hoax?
The party's response has been inconsistent. Initially, Reform UK attempted to discredit the entire investigation, describing it as a hoax. This morning, however, the party appeared to accept that the two suspended aides overstepped boundaries, though senior figures continued to alternate between the two positions.
Malcolm Offord, Reform's leader in Scotland, characterised the investigation as a coordinated attack.
This looks to me to be a classic stitch-up on the night of the conference to try and derail us on this. This is not journalism which is honest journalism going in to uncover something in normal life. This is setting up, this is trying to set up an outcome that you are trying to achieve and under cover trying to do that in a dishonest manner.
Raheem Kassam, a former Farage aide now running the National Pulse, a rightwing US website, published an article on Substack claiming the Verbatim investigation amounted to election interference.
What are commentators saying about the scandal?
Tim Shipman, political editor of the Spectator, argued that the "stench of incompetence" is particularly damaging in politics.
[Nigel] Farage should also be cognisant that the mood in the bars around Birmingham last night was utterly mutinous. Those who are putting themselves forward as Reform candidates confided their despair. 'We are giving up our businesses and putting family lives on hold to fight for Reform and this is going on behind the scenes,' one said …
Shipman suggested that the behaviour of Jukes and Orr reflected the culture set by Farage himself.
The overwhelming reaction in my WhatsApp groups from operatives in the other main parties was incredulity at the recklessness of it all. 'If this is how they talk to people they don't know, imagine what they are saying to people they trust,' observed one former Downing Street Tory …He concluded:
The scrappy, sod the rules, bugger the establishment vibe comes from him. This is another reminder of the timeless rule that every major politician's greatest strength is also their greatest weakness. Farage's insurgent image has put him in a place where he might win power but made his operation demonstrably less suitable to exercise it.
Stephen Bush from the Financial Times made a similar argument, contending that the combination of the donations scandal and other controversies facing the party creates a compounding problem.
Individually, these accusations [the ones about evading rules in the undercover investigation, and the Zia Yusuf racism claims – see 11.47am] are deeply damaging, but together they are even more so. In addition to the serious evidence that has uncovered, the manner in which Reform's bigwigs conduct themselves in the video makes them look a bit ridiculous. A political party can survive being seen as mean or soft-hearted or a number of other things. But if it is seen as silly it cannot be a serious prospect for power.
Bush added:
Add that to the allegations of racism — something beyond the pale for many British voters — and the party is fishing in a small pool indeed. There are people who will vote for a ridiculous party. There is a smaller number who will vote for a party facing allegations of racism. But the number who will vote for a party that is both ridiculous and facing allegations of racism is smaller still. Ditto the number who will vote for a party that is ridiculous, facing allegations of racism and committed to the socially conservative agenda Reform has increasingly adopted (and to which the likes of Orr are firmly committed).
Robert Smith at the Financial Times stated:
I've watched this investigation carefully. It has Reform UK banged to rights in conspiring to accept illegal donations. Two of Nigel Farage's most senior aides have already been shown the door.
Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru leader at Westminster, suggested the scandal could prove fatal to the party.
Everyone knows that a fish rots from the head down. James Orr and Dan Jukes are nothing but tiddlers - this is the end for Farage.
What is the context of earlier donation controversies?
This investigation comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Farage's financial arrangements, including a parliamentary standards inquiry into a £5m undeclared gift from a major donor. Labour has previously requested the Electoral Commission investigate Farage for allegedly breaching electoral law by not declaring gifts. The Metropolitan Police has separately been linked to other Reform donation questions, including earlier reports about £500,000 in donations from Fiona Cottrell, the mother of a convicted fraudster.
How has Farage compared Reform's conduct to other parties?
Farage attempted to contextualise the allegations by pointing to practices by other parties.
The Labour Party and the Conservative Party have been selling peerages for years in return for political donations. Political donations leading to big government contracts. In the world of political funding, all sorts of things have been done over decades that are wrong.
What happened at the Reform conference opening?
At the Reform UK conference, Farage opened proceedings with a tribute to Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative politician who joined Reform. He described her as the best-known female politician in Britain since Margaret Thatcher, praising her clarity in communication and her willingness to laugh at herself following her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. He called her "a tremendous asset to Reform UK, and a trusted, loyal colleague" who was "loved by millions".
What is the controversy over Jordan Bardella's appearance?
Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right National Rally (RN) party, is addressing the Reform UK conference. The Greens have strongly condemned the party for providing him a platform. Co-deputy leader Mothin Ali stated:
By putting Jordan Bardella on its conference stage, Reform is sending a clear and deeply troubling message about who it considers welcome and acceptable in British politics. Bardella leads a party with a long and deeply troubling history of antisemitism, while he himself has repeatedly used rhetoric that targets Islam and Muslims and demonises immigration as an existential threat.
Ali continued:
Reform cannot claim to be a mainstream political force while simultaneously offering a platform and a safe space to figures from Europe's far-right. You cannot fight racism and hatred selectively. Antisemitism is racism. Islamophobia is racism. And the answer to one cannot be the normalisation of the other. Reform should be asked a very simple question: why does a party that claims to speak for Britain with its rich tapestry of cultures and religions, believe that someone like Jordan Bardella belongs on its stage?
What is the Zia Yusuf controversy?
Zia Yusuf, Reform's home affairs spokesperson, posted a tweet widely condemned as racist. The message stated:
The front runner being foisted on the people of Holborn by Labour to replace the former Prime Minister Keir Starmer in our Parliament was born in Somalia. Do you understand what's happening?Yusuf was referring to Sagal Abdi-Wali, who arrived in the UK in the early 1990s as a child refugee from Somalia and is now leader of Camden council and a former chair of the Holborn and St Pancras constituency Labour party.
Lee Anderson, the Reform UK chair and chief whip, refused to defend Yusuf when questioned about the tweet on this morning. Anderson stated:
I only got back off my holidays yesterday, so I have got an inbox full of stuff to do. I will be looking at the letter and I will be speaking to Zia to ask him directly. He is a fair-minded man.He added that it was up to Yusuf to explain what he meant by the post.
Dawn Butler, chair of the London parliamentary Labour party, has described the tweet as racist and urged Yusuf to apologise.
What is Reform's 'national emergency' plan?
The undercover investigation has overshadowed Reform's overnight announcement regarding its plans for a "national emergency" declaration if the party takes power. According to a news release, Farage is expected to commit to declaring a national emergency on day one of a Reform government, citing the condition of the country following successive Labour and Conservative administrations.
The party stated that as prime minister, Farage would make parliament "sit day and night" until all legislation is passed, forcing it to sit throughout summer for seven days a week if necessary. A Reform spokesman said:
Within days of winning the general election, we will introduce dozens of bills and force Parliament to sit all through summer for seven days a week to pass them. Britain is in serious trouble. We don't have time to wait around to fix it.
Farage also indicated that if "the Lords, judiciary or civil service get in our way they will discover just how determined we are" and committed to doing "anything and everything to make the first 100 days work".
When Today programme presenter Nick Robinson pressed Richard Tice, Reform's deputy leader, on what the party would do to judges if they obstructed its agenda, Tice responded that Reform would "pass laws to get stuff done". The precise meaning of the "national emergency" declaration remains unclear, with the potential ranging from largely rhetorical to measures approaching martial law.
What has Reform's deputy leader said about the donations?
Richard Tice, Reform's deputy leader, stated that no money was received and no rules were broken in response to the undercover report. Tice said no money was received and no rules were broken, maintaining the party's position that it has complied with all electoral law requirements.
What happens next?
Parliament's standards commissioner had already reopened a separate investigation into Nigel Farage's undeclared gifts and was expected to interview him when parliament returned. The internal investigation into Orr and Jukes will determine whether they remain permanently suspended or might eventually return to their positions.
The Metropolitan Police continues to assess the allegations contained in the investigation, though no formal inquiry has been launched at this stage.
