Reform UK officials step aside after undercover foreign polling funding allegations

London, United Kingdom. Reform UK said two senior members stepped down temporarily after an undercover investigation alleged the party arranged for a foreign donor to fund political polling.

The party denied wrongdoing, describing the operation as a hoax by climate activists, while Labour asked police to investigate possible criminal offences.

Undercover investigation

The investigation, broadcast by Channel 4 as Reform’s annual conference opened, alleged that two senior party figures arranged for a U.S. company to pay more than £30,000 for three opinion polls commissioned by Reform.

British political funding laws prohibit foreign donations, and such an arrangement could breach those rules.

Channel 4 said the donors behind the U.S. company were an undercover team from Verbatim, an investigative group. The broadcaster said Verbatim was an independent organisation founded by journalists from the Centre for Climate Reporting and that it had verified the findings, including covertly filmed meetings.

Internal inquiry

Reform announced an internal investigation and said the two officials shown in the undercover footage had stepped down pending its outcome.

James Orr, Reform’s head of policy and one of the officials filmed, said in a video posted on X that the party had not been involved in commissioning the poll.

“There’s absolutely no way this could amount to a benefit or donation in kind at all,” Orr said.