Nigel Farage has admitted that comments made by two senior Reform UK figures during an undercover investigation “don’t look good”, while repeatedly insisting that his party has done nothing wrong.
The Reform leader was challenged by Nick Ferrari on LBC after a Channel 4 News investigation alleged that party officials arranged for a US company to pay £32,500 for three opinion polls.
Reform’s head of policy James Orr and Dan Jukes, a longstanding senior aide to Farage, have both stepped down from their positions pending an internal investigation.
Farage said the men had been “entrapped” into making comments that should not have been made. However, he rejected suggestions that the polling arrangement itself represented an unlawful foreign donation.
“The party has broken no laws,” he said. “The party has not taken any dodgy money or anything like that whatsoever.”
He added:
“They got a couple of our contractors to say things that perhaps should not have been said, and as a result of that they have been removed this morning.”
Ferrari challenged Farage’s description of Orr and Jukes as contractors, pointing out that one was Reform’s head of policy and the other had worked closely with Farage for years.
Farage accepted that Jukes had been part of his team for “many, many years”, but said he had not previously been involved in fundraising.
‘It worked. Boom’
The investigation was conducted by Verbatim, an independent group of investigative journalists, and its findings were subsequently checked and broadcast by Channel 4 News.
An undercover reporter posed as the UK-based son of a wealthy American businessman. The supposed father and son offered to support Reform financially, allowing journalists to record a series of meetings with party figures.
Three polls were eventually paid for by a US company connected to the fictitious American donor. The results received coverage in The Telegraph and The Times.
Footage later showed Farage meeting the supposed donors and being told that they had paid for the polls.
Farage responded positively to the news, saying of one poll:
“It worked. Boom.”
During the LBC interview, Ferrari asked whether this showed Farage had been aware of the overseas funding.
Farage said he had only learned who had paid for the polling after it had already appeared in The Times.
“I had absolutely no idea,” he said. “The first thing I saw was it on the front page of The Times. They then told me at lunch that they’d funded it. I said, ‘Well done. Great. Boom.’”
Farage maintained that Reform had no involvement in commissioning the research.
“An independent third party commissioned a poll with a member of the British Polling Council,” he said.
“That poll was put out in the public domain and, whilst it was helpful to Reform, we had nothing to do with it and there’s nothing illegal in that whatsoever.”
When Ferrari reminded him that the polling had allegedly been funded by an overseas source, Farage replied:
“Polling can be paid for by anybody provided it’s put into the public domain.”
The legal status of the arrangement has not yet been determined.
Why did the two officials step down?
Ferrari questioned why Orr and Jukes had been removed if Farage believed the polling arrangement was entirely legitimate.
Farage said the decision was connected to a separate conversation recorded during the undercover operation.
The investigation alleged that Jukes discussed how a much larger donation from the fictional American businessman could be passed through his UK-based son.
Foreign nationals who are not registered UK electors are generally prohibited from donating directly to British political parties. Using a permissible donor to conceal the true source of funds could also breach electoral law.
Farage appeared to accept that such an arrangement would not be allowed.
“That clearly can’t be done under electoral law,” he said.
He stressed that the proposed donation never took place.
“It didn’t happen. It didn’t happen. So no laws have been broken.”
Farage said he had asked during his meeting whether the proposed support was “above board” and legal. He claimed he had been told the money would come from a global family office based in London.
The supposed donors were created as part of the undercover operation and no £500,000 donation was made.
‘Nigel doesn’t know, won’t know’
The footage raised further questions about Farage’s involvement because Orr was recorded apparently suggesting that the arrangement should be kept from him.
Orr said:
“I wouldn’t breathe a word of this to anybody. Nigel doesn’t know, won’t know. It’s the kind of thing he would rather not know.”
Jukes was also filmed describing the funding of the polling as an “amazing sweet spot” because of the influence it could have while not appearing in public records.
Reform denies wrongdoing and says the party itself neither commissioned the polls nor received a benefit in kind from them.
JL Partners, the company that conducted the polling, said there was no concern about the accuracy of its work. It acknowledged weaknesses in its procedures and said those procedures were being reviewed.
The Times said it was not informed of Reform’s involvement in commissioning and arranging payment for the poll it published.
The Telegraph said it believed it had been misled and suspended the relevant articles while the British Polling Council examines what happened.
Farage turns his fire on the investigators
Farage sought to turn the allegation of foreign interference back on the journalists responsible for the undercover operation.
“This is a massive sting operation,” he said. “It must have cost them hundreds of thousands of pounds, all foreign funded, by the way.”
He did not provide evidence for his estimate of the investigation’s cost during the interview.
Channel 4 News has said it did not pay for the polling and paid no money to Verbatim or any company associated with it. The broadcaster said its journalists independently checked and verified Verbatim’s findings before transmission.
Farage accused the investigators of trying to “stitch people up” because Reform posed a threat to what he called an “establishment ecosystem”.
“Attempts to stitch people up and sting people goes on the whole time,” he said. “But we will not be distracted by it.”
Electoral Commission considers the evidence
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have reported the allegations to the police.
The Electoral Commission said it was considering the information and had contacted the Metropolitan Police.
In a statement responding to the Channel 4 investigation, the commission said parties must report all accepted permissible donations worth more than £11,180 and impermissible donations worth more than £500.
It added:
“Information about any potential attempt to evade the controls on donations is for the police to consider.”
The commission has not concluded that Reform or any of the individuals involved broke electoral law. A police referral also does not establish that an offence was committed.
Reform has launched its own investigation into the conduct of Orr and Jukes. The party says it has obtained an opinion from a KC supporting its position that no rules were broken.
Farage remained adamant when Ferrari asked whether he was confident there was nothing for the authorities to find.
“Nothing has happened,” he said. “No illegal transaction has occurred.”
His defence now rests on a distinction between the polling, which he insists was independently commissioned, and the later discussion about channelling a possible donation through a UK resident.
Whether the authorities accept that distinction could determine how serious the controversy becomes for Reform.
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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