Arron Banks accused of targeting Tory Chair with investigators

Reform UK backer Arron Banks has confirmed he was behind a private intelligence operation targeting Conservative Party chair Kevin Hollinrake, intensifying a bitter row over scrutiny of Nigel Farage’s finances and Reform’s funding.

Banks admits he “rows his own boat”

Banks appeared to confirm reports that he commissioned Precision Risk and Intelligence to investigate Hollinrake, after the firm was previously linked to Banks himself.

Hollinrake had led Conservative scrutiny of Reform and Farage, including questions over a reported £5m gift Farage received from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne before the last election. Addressing Banks directly, Hollinrake accused a close Farage associate of investigating both him and journalists covering the story.

Banks replied that he had always encountered people who “like to give it but can’t receive it”. Asked whether Reform knew about the operation, he suggested he had acted independently: “I row my own boat.”

Journalists already caught in the crosshairs

The revelation follows reports that Banks also commissioned the same intelligence firm to investigate Gabriel Pogrund, investigations editor of the Sunday Times.

That has raised concerns that journalists probing Reform’s finances could face similar scrutiny. Banks previously said his investigative operation had “advanced capabilities”, while the Sunday Times rejected his suggestion that its reporting relied on hacked information.

The News Media Association warned that using private investigators to deter journalists from legitimate inquiries amounted to an “attack on our democracy”. Its chief executive Theo Bamber said intimidation of reporters risked becoming normalised.

Farage faces fresh questions over funding

The row comes as newspapers continue investigating the financial networks surrounding Reform and its donors. A new Sunday Times investigation examined links between Reform funders and Tether.bet, a gambling website accused of illegally offering betting services to UK customers.

Labour seized on the latest revelations, saying the reports raised “yet more questions” about those financing Reform and Farage.

Banks has been approached for further comment. The growing confrontation now puts private investigations, political funding and press scrutiny at the centre of an increasingly bitter battle over Reform’s finances.

Arron Banks hired private investigators to dig into Conservative party chair