Key facts
- Businessman Arron Banks hired a private intelligence firm to investigate Conservative party chair Kevin Hollinrake.
- Banks previously commissioned private investigators to look into Sunday Times investigations editor Gabriel Pogrund.
- Hollinrake has been leading the Conservative party's scrutiny of Nigel Farage's finances and Reform UK's funding.
- The News Media Association condemned the use of private investigators as an 'attack on our democracy'.
- Recent reports link Reform UK funders to a website accused of illegal gambling operations.
Businessman Arron Banks, a prominent backer of Reform UK, has commissioned a private intelligence firm to investigate Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative party chair. This move follows reports that Banks had previously hired the same firm, Precision Risk and Intelligence, to investigate Gabriel Pogrund, an investigations editor at the Sunday Times.
Hollinrake has been at the forefront of the Conservative party's efforts to scrutinize the finances of Reform UK and its co-founder Nigel Farage. These efforts include questioning a £5 million undeclared gift Farage received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Hollinrake addressed Banks on social media, suggesting the investigation was a retaliatory measure after Reform UK's finances were called into question.
Banks, who previously owned Precision Risk and Intelligence, suggested he acted independently in the investigation. The News Media Association (NMA) has condemned such actions, describing them as an 'attack on our democracy' and a tactic to deter legitimate journalistic inquiry. The NMA urged ministers to protect independent journalism.
Further revelations have emerged regarding the funding of Reform UK and Farage. The Sunday Times recently published an investigation linking Reform funders to Tether.bet, a website accused of illegally offering gambling services to UK residents. The report identified convicted fraudster George Cottrell as a customer of the website, and noted that Harborne owned a company that processed payments for it. Lawyers for Cottrell stated his involvement was limited to that of a customer, and denied any association with unlawful gambling activities. Representatives for Harborne and his company also stated he had no role in the operations of IFX, which they claim operates in accordance with regulations.