Reform UK Clears Own Officials of Breaking Donation Rules Despite Police Probe

Reform UK has cleared two of its senior officials of breaching laws that prohibit foreign political donations, even though the matter remains the subject of an ongoing police investigation, according to a report by the Guardian.

The party published a 17-page report from an internal inquiry conducted by its legal secretary and general secretary, which found that Dan Jukes, an adviser to party leader Nigel Farage, and James Orr, the party's head of policy, had not breached funding rules.

The police investigation stems from an undercover sting that filmed Jukes and Orr discussing the possibility of overseas donations to the party, footage that first raised questions about the party's compliance with UK election funding law, which generally bars political parties from accepting donations from foreign sources.

The Guardian's report did not specify which police force is conducting the investigation or provide a timeline for when that inquiry might conclude.

Reform UK's decision to publish its own internal findings before the police investigation concludes is likely to draw scrutiny from critics who may question the independence of a review carried out by the party's own officials into allegations against its own staff.

The report did not include further comment from Jukes, Orr, or Reform UK leadership beyond the findings of the internal inquiry itself.