Dan Jukes, a senior aide to Nigel Farage, suggested in undercover footage a method to secure a foreign donation for Reform UK while avoiding requirements in UK electoral law, according to Channel 4 News.
The footage, filmed as part of a sting operation and broadcast on Thursday, shows Jukes meeting a man posing as the British-based son of a wealthy American businessman. Jukes, who is described as a Reform senior aide, raises the prospect of structuring the payment so that it appears to come from the UK-based son rather than from the American father.
Electoral Law on permissible donors
Electoral law says political parties can only accept “permissible” donations from those who are UK registered voters, or from companies registered in the UK. Channel 4 said the apparent concern in the film was that the father would not meet that definition, but the son would.
In one exchange filmed outside a pub in Westminster, Jukes tells the undercover reporter, “you do realise that you can do it?”, adding that it would involve the donation being made in the son’s name. Channel 4 said Jukes suggested that while the money would be provided by the American father, the transfer could be routed through the UK-based son to keep it within the legal framework.
The footage includes bleeped-out passages that appear, Channel 4 said, to refer to other instances in which such a mechanism had been used.
Reform Launches Internal Investigations
Reform UK has launched internal investigations into Jukes, Channel 4 reported. It did not confirm whether he remained a party spokesperson. The leader Nigel Farage is also shown in later footage, alongside the man posing as the UK-based son and an actor portraying the supposed American father, with Jukes and Reform’s head of policy, James Orr.
In the later recording, Farage says “it’s all above board” after the son tells him he has been discussing the arrangements with both Jukes and Orr “for some time”. The son is then heard saying: “I’ll be the registered donor. But then dad will send the money to me, and then as soon as that’s done and all those conversations are had the money is available.” Farage replies “Thank you”, addressing both men.
Orr is also the subject of an internal Reform investigation, Channel 4 said.
Polling Payments Also Raised Concerns
Earlier in Channel 4’s film, Orr is recorded telling the undercover reporter that the father could pay for polling to support Reform’s campaigning. Channel 4 said the cost discussed was £18,000 plus VAT, and Orr suggested the polling company could send the bill to the undercover reporter.
Channel 4 said Reform commissioned three polls costing £32,500 in total and that the public was not told who commissioned or funded them. The broadcaster said failing to disclose such funding would be illegal, and accepting foreign funding in that way would also breach the rules.
Reform Denies Wrongdoing
Reform UK denies wrongdoing. A spokesperson said the party had been targeted by a “hoax” involving foreign-funded climate change activists posing as prospective donors. The spokesperson said Reform has a “robust vetting process” for donations approved by the Electoral Commission.
Reform also said the hoaxers behind the operation were “Verbatim Investigations”, described by the party as a new company incorporated in July 2026 in an attempt to obscure its true links to the Centre for Climate Reporting. Reform claimed that videos by the founder, Lawrence Carter, had previously been criticised by members of the US Congress for being substantially edited.
Channel 4 said the undercover material was provided by Verbatim Investigations, a group founded by journalists from the Centre for Climate Reporting, and that it had verified the footage before broadcasting.
Regulators and Police Response
An Electoral Commission spokesperson said political parties must report permissible donations above £11,180 and impermissible donations above £500, and that information about any potential attempt to evade donation controls is for police to consider.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the BBC it was aware of media reporting on Thursday, 3 September, covering political party donations and an alleged breach of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 relating to polling. The force said it would assess the matter and any information provided to it, and it is understood it had not begun an investigation.
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4 September 2026
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