The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into Reform UK over allegations that the party broke electoral laws regarding foreign political donations.

Detectives from the Met's Special Enquiry Team are examining claims that senior aides suggested methods to bypass legal restrictions on overseas funding. Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, political donations can only be made by individuals registered on the UK electoral roll or by companies registered and trading in the UK.

The police investigation was triggered by an undercover report broadcast by Channel 4 News and co-produced with Verbatim Investigations. In the film, an undercover investigator posed as the son of an American donor and raised concerns that his father would not be legally permitted to donate directly to the party.

During the recorded meetings, Dan Jukes, then chief of staff to party leader Nigel Farage, appeared to suggest the donation could instead be placed in the UK-based son's name. In a separate exchange, the party's former head of policy, James Orr, suggested that the father could directly fund opinion polling to support one of Reform's political campaigns.

The broadcast also featured footage of Mr Farage and Mr Jukes attending a lunch in Clacton where a potential £500,000 donation routed through the son was discussed. Channel 4 News confirmed that no money was ever actually paid.

Responding to the report, Mr Farage told the BBC he "frankly wasn't listening" to the conversation regarding the proposed donation. He dismissed his aide's remarks in the footage as "loose pub talk including a couple of boasts that simply were not true." Both Mr Jukes and Mr Orr have since left their roles in the party following the broadcast, which overshadowed Reform's conference in Birmingham.

A spokesperson for Reform UK said the party "denies any wrongdoing and will fully cooperate with the investigation." The Met confirmed detectives are seeking to obtain footage relating to the broadcast and are liaising closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Electoral Commission, which noted the report contained "serious allegations of wrongdoing."

This probe has now been folded into an existing police inquiry looking into whether other donations made to Reform prior to the general election complied with electoral law. That wider inquiry is examining donations given directly by Fiona Cottrell—mother of longtime Farage ally George Cottrell—alongside payments from a company controlled by Reform deputy leader Richard Tice, which received £1m from Fiona Cottrell in June 2024.

The developments have prompted sharp criticism from rival parties across Westminster. Labour Party Chair Bridget Phillipson said that "Farage needs to wake up and realise the buck stops with him," while Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart said Reform MPs must state whether their campaigns benefited from foreign money. Green Party leader Zack Polanski added that senior figures still face questions over how much they knew.

What we do not know yet is how long detectives will take to review the unedited footage and financial records, or whether the Crown Prosecution Service will ultimately consider bringing formal charges.

I'll be following this one closely as the investigation proceeds — check back for updates.