Reform UK donations face police investigation over alleged donor rule breaches

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Reform UK donations police investigation

Highlights

Metropolitan Police are investigating Reform UK over alleged breaches of section 61 donation rules, focusing on £500,000 donated by Fiona Cottrell in May 2024.
Police inquiry includes possible false statements about donation amounts or donor identity, with two individuals interviewed under caution since February 2025 and no arrests made.
Nigel Farage faces scrutiny for failing to declare a £5 million gift from Christopher Harborne, with the parliamentary inquiry paused until the Clacton by-election concludes.

Police probe focuses on 2024 donations

As reported by Financial Times, citing The Times, the Metropolitan Police says it is investigating alleged offences under section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, covering possible evasion of restrictions on donations. Detectives have sought early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service, interviewed two people under caution since the inquiry was launched in February 2025, and made no arrests.

The probe is understood to relate to donations made by Fiona Cottrell, 67, who has given Reform UK £750,000 in total. At least £500,000 of that sum is understood to have been donated in May 2024, ahead of the general election in July that year.

Police are examining possible offences that could include providing false information about a donation, including its amount or the identity of the donor. The Met says offences under this section are not ones the Electoral Commission can investigate and therefore fall to the police.

Crimes under this part of the 2000 law are punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison. Fiona Cottrell is the mother of George Cottrell, a longtime Farage aide who is based in Montenegro and has ties to the cryptocurrency industry and crypto gambling.

Scrutiny widens around Farage's finances

These developments add to broader questions over financial support and benefits connected to Farage. Earlier this week he stood down as an MP and called a by-election in Clacton, saying he had done nothing wrong and that voters in the Essex constituency should judge his actions.

That move followed revelations that Farage had received undeclared benefits in kind from George Cottrell, including private security, staff and accommodation. George Cottrell pleaded guilty to wire fraud in the U.S. in 2017, and Farage has said the support related to his personal security and was received when he had stepped back from politics.

Farage is also under pressure over a £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne that he did not register when elected as an MP. He says the money was an unconditional gift not linked to his activities as an MP or politician, and therefore did not need to be declared.

The parliamentary commissioner for standards has been investigating that gift, although the inquiry is paused pending the Clacton by-election result. If Farage returns to parliament, the investigation resumes, and an adverse finding could trigger a second by-election.

Our earlier report on rising UK fraud and enforcement pressures looked at how a surge in merger activity has been accompanied by unusually high levels of suspicious share trading ahead of takeover announcements, increasing scrutiny on the Financial Conduct Authority’s financial-crime agenda. We also noted that broader fraud losses were climbing, with technologies such as AI and cryptocurrencies helping scammers operate at greater scale and speed.

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