Key facts
- Two close advisers to Nigel Farage, Dan Jukes and James Orr, have resigned from Reform UK.
- Their resignations followed an undercover investigation by Channel 4 into the party's donation practices.
- Orr was filmed discussing arrangements for funding from a foreign benefactor via a UK middleman.
- Jukes was recorded discussing 'clandestine projects' for the party.
- Farage himself was filmed speaking to a fake U.S. donor about the impact of a poll.
- The party maintains it has broken no laws and denies taking 'dodgy money'.
Nigel Farage's Reform UK party conference in Birmingham has been overshadowed by a scandal involving allegations of questionable donation practices, leading to the resignations of two of his closest advisers, Dan Jukes and James Orr.
The loss of Jukes, described as Farage's loyal 'attack dog,' and Orr, the party's 'big policy brain' and a Cambridge academic, is seen as a significant blow to Reform UK's efforts to professionalize.
The scandal emerged from an undercover sting operation by Channel 4. Footage showed Orr arranging potentially rule-breaking funding from a foreign benefactor through a UK middleman to influence polling. Jukes was recorded discussing 'clandestine projects' for the party, and Farage himself was filmed speaking to a fake U.S. donor about the impact of a poll that appeared in national newspapers without declared links to Reform UK.
Despite initial defiance and suggestions that Farage would back his aides, both Jukes and Orr stepped down by Friday morning pending an internal investigation. Reform UK has stated that no laws were broken and denies receiving 'dodgy money.'
The party had intended to use the conference to present itself as ready for government, with polls showing it neck-and-neck with the governing Labour Party. However, the scandal has soured the mood, with some party members describing it as a 'sh*tshow.' Deputy leader Richard Tice suggested Channel 4's investigation may have involved 'entrapment.'
The scrutiny is expected to continue beyond the conference, with Farage also facing an interview with parliament's standards commissioner over separate allegations concerning donations from crypto businessman Christopher Harborne.