Reform UK suspends two officials after undercover donor sting

Reform UK has suspended two senior officials after undercover footage appeared to show them discussing the acceptance of funds from a foreign donor, a practice that would breach British electoral law.

The party announced that Dan Jukes, an adviser to leader Nigel Farage, and policy chief James Orr have stepped down pending an internal investigation. The suspensions were confirmed on Friday, overshadowing the party's annual conference in Birmingham.

The footage, aired by broadcaster Channel 4, was recorded by the investigative group Verbatim. In one segment, Jukes is seen at a lunch discussing a plan to channel a £500,000 donation from a US financier through his UK-based son. The supposed son was in fact a Verbatim reporter, and the father an actor.

Separate footage shows Orr discussing the possibility of the same US donor paying for opinion polls commissioned by Reform UK. In the recording, Orr reportedly tells the undercover reporter that the party lacks British-resident donors or UK-registered businesses to support it.

Under UK law, political parties may only accept donations from British voters or UK-registered businesses.

Addressing the conference, Farage acknowledged the situation, describing it as a "little local difficulty." He claimed the party had done nothing wrong and had not accepted any illegal money, calling the operation "an exercise in entrapment." Farage added that the officials' comments were "injudicious at best" and that neither man was authorised to act in that manner.