Reform UK’s candidate for London mayor repeatedly insisted that the party did not commission three controversial polls during a bruising Newsnight interview, before admitting she had not watched the full undercover investigation.
Laila Cunningham was questioned by presenter Matt Chorley about footage showing senior Reform figures discussing political funding with undercover reporters posing as representatives of a wealthy American businessman.
Cunningham said she had been briefed that Reform had not commissioned the polls and had received no illicit money. However, Chorley challenged her over footage in which Nigel Farage appeared to welcome the arrangement.
The exchange quickly drew a flood of comments from viewers, with one Reform voter describing it as a “terrible interview”.
‘I haven’t had time to watch the whole documentary’
Cunningham initially told Chorley:
“I haven’t had time to watch the whole documentary. I know that we did not commission the poll. It was a public poll. We didn’t commission the poll.”
Chorley pointed out that she is a senior Reform figure who is standing to become mayor of London.
“This is the only story that’s coming out of the Reform UK conference. Serious allegations which you’ve got the Metropolitan Police and the Electoral Commission saying they are assessing.
“And you’re coming on here to tell me everything’s fine, no rules have been broken, but you haven’t watched the footage.”
Cunningham said she had watched the relevant section and had been briefed on the party’s position.
“I have been told. I have been briefed that we did not commission the poll.”
Chorley then referred to undercover footage in which an actor posing as an American businessman said he had been “thrilled” to pay for polls commissioned by Reform.
According to the footage described during the interview, Farage responded:
“That was great. It worked. Boom.”
Cunningham replied:
“The poll was great. You know, they commissioned the poll.”
Chorley reminded her that the supposed donor had specifically referred to polls “that you had commissioned”.
Cunningham again said Reform had not commissioned them.
When asked why Farage had not corrected the supposed donor during the meeting, she said:
“I don’t know. I wasn’t in the meeting. Perhaps it was edited. I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him.”
Cunningham repeats that Reform received no money
The Channel 4 News investigation alleged that Reform figures James Orr and Dan Jukes discussed ways for the supposed American donor to support the party.
Foreign donors who do not meet the legal criteria are prohibited from donating directly to British political parties.
In one part of the footage discussed by Chorley, the undercover reporter posing as the businessman’s UK-based son outlined a plan under which money from his father could be passed through him.
Chorley asked Cunningham what she would have done if somebody had proposed such an arrangement during one of her own fundraising meetings.
“If I knew it was illegal, I wouldn’t take it,” she said.
“And that’s why we didn’t take it. We haven’t taken it. We haven’t taken money and we haven’t commissioned the poll.”
Chorley argued that his question concerned Farage’s response to the proposed arrangement, rather than whether the fictional donation was ultimately completed.
“What does it say about Nigel Farage, a man who wants to be prime minister, who wants to run this country, who wants to write the laws of this country, that in this conversation with people saying these things, he doesn’t say, ‘Whoa, hang on a minute’?”
Cunningham returned to the same answer.
“Matt, did we take any money? We didn’t take any money and we didn’t commission the poll.
“I know it’s going to sound repetitive, but at the end of the day, no money was received.”
‘The video looks terrible’
Orr, Reform’s head of policy, and Jukes, a close aide to Farage, have both stood down pending an internal investigation.
Cunningham said the pair had been right to leave their positions.
“They’ve stepped down. Rightly so, you know, because the video looks terrible.”
Chorley immediately asked:
“But if it looks terrible for them, why doesn’t it look terrible for Nigel Farage?”
Cunningham said Farage had not been involved in the earlier meetings where the polling and proposed donations were discussed.
Chorley responded that Farage was nevertheless filmed speaking to someone he believed was connected to a wealthy American donor.
Cunningham again said:
“We didn’t receive the funds. You can check all our donors. All our donors are available for public record and they’re all above board.”
It also rejected any suggestion that it had approved Reform’s donor checks, saying parties remain responsible for ensuring their own procedures comply with the law.
The Commission said political parties must report permissible donations worth more than £11,180 and impermissible donations worth more than £500.
It added that any potential attempt to evade donation controls is a matter for the police.
No conclusion has been reached by either the Electoral Commission or the Metropolitan Police. Reform denies breaking electoral law, while Orr and Jukes are also reported to deny wrongdoing.
Cunningham attacks the investigators
Cunningham described the investigation as a “hoax” conducted by climate activists and accused those involved of using foreign funding themselves.
“They infiltrated us for a year. God knows how much it cost. It was entrapment.”
Chorley noted that the investigators deny Reform’s claims about their work.
He also pointed out that two senior party figures had stepped down because of the footage.
“Clearly somebody in Reform UK thinks there’s an issue as well.”
Cunningham later defended Reform’s prospects in London, claiming the party had risen from 13 per cent to 20 per cent in the polls.
“We’re building a great electoral machine,” she said.
Viewers react to the interview
@MaximusHTFC wrote:
“Britain’s equivalent of MAGA telling to you not to believe your eyes and ears!”
@catrapesco said:
“Car crash interview”
@juliemcdowell527 wrote:
“I will never ever ever understand why anyone could think these people are above board…the whole world has gone mad”
@grantwallace1882 said:
“I think the ‘I haven’t seen it’ comment is running a bit thin.”
@orraman5427 wrote:
“You can only be entrapped into doing something that’s illegal if you’re willing to do something dodgy in the first place.”
@grahamkelly4765 said:
“I haven’t seen it …… He didn’t say that , so which was it ?”
@korks-342 wrote:
“30p Lee said he’d only seen bits of the CH4 broadcast as well. Now Cunningham is saying it. WTF. Their comms. would have been red hot as soon as the broadcast began. What utter tripe.”
@hayley7090 said:
“😂 Wow, an astonishingly cringe-worthy interview. Reform really send out their best to defend them don’t they….!? 😂😂😂😂😂”
@karloswright wrote:
“Fair play, Matt is the first interviewer I have seen who actually seems to try to nail Reform on this instead of allowing Reform to drive the message”
@karlyoung6289 said:
“Utterly ridiculous! It’s like a five-year-old with chocolate around his mouth saying, ‘I didn’t eat the cake’. These people think we are stupid; they have no credibility whatsoever.”
@CroydonLion wrote:
“As a reform voter…what a terrible interview. She could (and should) have done a LOT better”
Joe Connor is a UK-based reporter specialising in politics, public policy, and national affairs. He has previously contributed to publications including The London Economic (JOE Media Group) and Spotted News.
At The Daily Britain, he covers Westminster politics, elections, and breaking political developments, alongside in-depth analysis of policy decisions and their real-world impact.
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