Met investigates donations to Jenrick leadership campaign

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Met probes Jenrick donations

Highlights

Metropolitan Police have opened an investigation into £100,000 donations to Robert Jenrick's 2024 Conservative leadership campaign, following an Electoral Commission referral.
Allegations focus on £37,500 of campaign funds traced to Gary Klopfenstein and Innovyz USA, potentially breaching UK electoral law prohibiting foreign donations.
Robert Jenrick denies wrongdoing as scrutiny on political finance intensifies; he defected to Reform UK and serves as its Treasury spokesperson after his Conservative expulsion in January.

Investigation focuses on source of campaign funds

As reported by Financial Times, citing the i newspaper, the Metropolitan Police says it has opened an investigation concerning donations connected to a political party's leadership campaign after the Electoral Commission referred evidence of potential offences outside its remit in January. The commission said in April that it had made that referral, while the Met confirmed on Wednesday that the inquiry is under way.

Jenrick received four donations worth £100,000 from The Spott Fitness in July and September 2024 during his campaign to become Conservative leader. Allegations under review say £37,500 of that total originated from Gary Klopfenstein and Innovyz USA, a company he founded, with the funds said to have reached Jenrick's campaign in July 2024.

UK electoral law bars foreign individuals and companies from donating to British political parties or individuals. Shortly after the July 2024 transfer allegedly linked to Klopfenstein, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud in the U.S. in separate matters.

Political and regulatory pressure widens

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Jenrick. He says in a statement that the allegations are entirely false and that he has had no contact with the Met Police in connection with the matter.

A spokesperson for Jenrick said in April that he and his campaign team complied with all electoral laws when receiving the donation from Spott Fitness in 2024. Phillip Ullmann, the British businessman linked to The Spott Fitness, does not immediately respond to a request for comment, though his spokesperson said in April that he had voluntarily disclosed additional information to the Electoral Commission and continued to engage with its investigation.

The case emerges as scrutiny intensifies around Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's personal finances and his acceptance of gifts from wealthy backers. Jenrick was expelled from the Conservative Party in January, immediately defected to Reform UK, and is now the party's Treasury spokesperson.

Nigel Farage’s response to financial scrutiny was the focus of our earlier coverage, noting how he sought renewed electoral backing while facing an investigation into an undeclared £5 million gift. We also outlined how similar tactics were being used by Marine Le Pen in France, highlighting a broader populist strategy of turning to voters to counter legal and political pressure.

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