Two senior Reform UK figures have stepped down hours before the opening of the party's annual conference in Birmingham, after a Channel 4 News undercover investigation alleged they arranged for a US company to fund three opinion polls the party had commissioned.
Reform UK confirmed on Friday morning that James Orr, its head of policy, and Dan Jukes, a close aide to Nigel Farage, had left their roles, and that it had launched an internal investigation. Both men deny wrongdoing. The party denies any wrongdoing and has described the operation as a hoax.
A Reform UK spokesman said: "Reform UK has launched an investigation following the broadcast of a Channel 4 News programme.
"Both individuals involved have stepped down from their respective positions pending the outcome of the investigation.
"The party believes it is important that the investigation is allowed to proceed independently and without prejudice.
"No further comment will be made while the investigation is ongoing."
The allegations were broadcast on Thursday evening by Channel 4 News, working with the investigations group Verbatim. Channel 4 reported that earlier this year Orr and Jukes arranged for a US company — set up and controlled by Verbatim, and fronted by undercover reporters posing as a wealthy American and his UK-based son — to pay for three polls carried out by the consultancy JL Partners at a total cost of £32,500.
The payments, according to the broadcast, went directly to the pollster rather than through Reform's accounts. Channel 4 said that, according to official records, none of the polling payments appear to have been disclosed by Reform UK to the Electoral Commission as either permissible or impermissible donations, although most of the relevant deadlines have passed. Whether such an arrangement amounts to a donation in kind under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 is unresolved.
In a video posted on X, Orr said: "No money reached Reform UK at all. No donation reached Reform UK, whether it was in cash or in kind. No benefit reached Reform that only Reform enjoyed. This guy paid a pollster to run a poll that went to the national newspapers. That's it."
Jukes said: "This was entrapment over a prolonged period of nearly a year by foreign-funded, climate change activists." He added: "I totally deny any wrongdoing but have stepped back from politics in order to clear my name."
Farage told LBC on Friday morning: "The party has broken no laws. The party has not taken any dodgy money or anything like that", describing the operation as "a massive sting operation" that was "all foreign funded". He said the two men had been "removed this morning".
The party chairman, Lee Anderson, told Sky News: "The two men involved, James Orr and Dan Jukes, they've stepped down from their roles, they've stepped away. It's only fair now we launch a full internal investigation." He said there was "no chance of them coming back".
The Metropolitan Police said it was aware of media reporting concerning political party donations and an alleged breach of the 2000 Act relating to polling, adding: "We will assess this matter and any information provided to us." That does not amount to the opening of an investigation. The Liberal Democrats have written to the force; Labour and the Greens have also called for a police inquiry.
An Electoral Commission spokesperson told LBC it was considering all relevant information and was in touch with the Met, and said the Commission "has not approved the donor vetting process for Reform, or any other party" — contradicting Reform's statement on Thursday that its vetting process was Commission-approved.
JL Partners said the report "did reveal weaknesses in our procedures", while maintaining there was no concern about the accuracy of its work. Farage is due to address the conference in Birmingham later on Friday.
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