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🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Elections & Politics

Farage aide filmed suggesting way around donations law for £500,000 Reform UK gift

From BBC News · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Channel 4 says undercover footage shows Reform UK aide Dan Jukes discussing how a £500,000 donation from an American businessman could be made in the UK-based son’s name.
  • Nigel Farage is shown describing the proposed arrangement as “all above board,” while Reform UK denies wrongdoing and calls the operation a hoax.
  • Reform UK has opened internal investigations into Jukes and policy chief James Orr, amid separate claims about undisclosed polling funding.

A senior aide to Nigel Farage appeared to suggest a way around electoral law to secure a £500,000 foreign donation for Reform UK, in undercover footage broadcast by Channel 4.

Dan Jukes was filmed meeting a man posing as the British-based son of a wealthy American businessman. UK electoral law allows a donation from a registered UK voter or a company registered in Britain. The proposed donor’s American father would not qualify, but the son would.

you do realise that you can do it?

· Dan JukesHe said this after the undercover reporter raised concerns about the legality of a direct donation from the American businessman.

When the undercover reporter raised concerns that his father could not legally donate directly, Jukes replied, “you do realise that you can do it?” Channel 4 said he appeared to suggest placing the donation in the UK-based son’s name while the money came from his father. Jukes then said, “Actually that does strike me as a solution,” and later added, “That’s one of the ways in which we do it.”

Actually that does strike me as a solution

· Dan JukesHe appeared to endorse putting the donation in the UK-based son’s name while the money came from his father.

Channel 4 said it verified the footage supplied by Verbatim Investigations before broadcasting it. Reform UK denied wrongdoing and said it had been targeted by “a hoax perpetuated by foreign funded climate change activists”. The party launched an internal investigation into Jukes and would not confirm whether he remained a spokesperson.

Further footage showed Jukes and James Orr, Reform’s head of policy, meeting the undercover reporters with Farage at a lunch in Clacton, Essex. After the supposed son described the arrangement, Farage said, “it’s all above board.” The son replied, “I’ll be the registered donor,” and explained that his father would send him the money. Farage responded, “Thank you. Well, both of you. Thank you.”

That’s one of the ways in which we do it

· Dan JukesHe appeared to refer to the proposed arrangement as a method used by the party.

Orr also faces an internal investigation over a separate discussion about funding opinion polling. Channel 4 said Reform commissioned three polls costing £32,500 in total, while the public was not told who commissioned or funded them. The report said failing to disclose such funding, or accepting foreign funding of this kind, would be illegal.

it’s all above board

· Nigel FarageFarage said this during a lunch after hearing the proposed donor describe the funding arrangement.
About this summary

Originally published by BBC News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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