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Senior aides to U.K.’s Nigel Farage step down amid undercover-report scandal

From CBS News · () English

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

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Reform U.K. officials James Orr and Dan Jukes stepped down pending an internal investigation after a Channel 4 undercover report raised allegations about foreign funding and electoral law.
  • Farage denied that the party accepted improper money and called the investigation a case of entrapment, while both aides denied wrongdoing.
  • The controversy emerged as Reform’s annual conference began, alongside scrutiny of a separate multimillion-pound donation linked to Christopher Harborne.

Two senior figures in Nigel Farage’s Reform U.K. party have stepped down after an undercover Channel 4 investigation triggered allegations that the party may have breached British electoral law over foreign funding.

The party has not taken any dodgy money or anything like that whatsoever.

· Nigel FarageFarage denied that Reform U.K. had accepted improper funds after the undercover report.

Party spokesman said Reform had opened an internal investigation after the report aired late Thursday. James Orr, the party’s former head of policy, and Dan Jukes, widely viewed as Farage’s right-hand man, left their positions pending the outcome. Both men denied wrongdoing.

The investigation involved a journalist posing as the son of a wealthy American who wanted to donate to Reform. The party said the inquiry should proceed independently and without prejudice, and that it would make no further comment while it continued. Channel 4 defended its report, saying it had been “rigorously verified to ensure accuracy” and urging viewers to watch the full investigation.

However, it is a clear case of entrapment, and they worked at it for a very long time, and they got a couple of our contractors to say things that perhaps should not have been said.

· Nigel FarageFarage characterized the undercover investigation and explained why contractors were removed.

Farage rejected the allegations in an interview with LBC Radio. “The party has not taken any dodgy money or anything like that whatsoever,” he said. He described the operation as entrapment and said contractors had been led to make statements they should not have made. Farage added that the contractors had been removed and that he was unhappy about the situation.

The party believes it is important that the investigation is allowed to proceed independently and without prejudice. No further comment will be made while the investigation is ongoing.

· Reform U.K. spokespersonThe party announced its internal investigation and the temporary departures of two officials.

The controversy came as Reform’s annual conference got underway. The party also faces scrutiny over donations, including a parliamentary investigation into a multimillion-pound contribution from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne in 2024. Farage denies wrongdoing. Reform domestic affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said the party would withstand the allegations and ultimately emerge stronger.

We will withstand this, and ultimately, ultimately will come out strong on the other side.

· Zia YusufReform’s domestic affairs spokesman played down the expected effect of the allegations on the party.
About this summary

Originally published by CBS 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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