Reform UK's bank account was frozen for around two weeks during last year's general election campaign after its bank flagged potentially illegal donations, it has emerged. The freeze, at private London bank Arbuthnot Latham, coincided with polling day on 4 July and stopped the party making or receiving payments through the account, raising questions about the vetting of its funding at a critical electoral moment.

The donations under scrutiny came from Fiona Cottrell, mother of "Posh George" Cottrell, a convicted criminal who has secretly funded his close ally Nigel Farage. Bank staff filed suspicious activity reports with the National Crime Agency over roughly £1 million linked to Ms Cottrell, who gave £500,000 directly to Reform and a further £1 million to an associated entity. Arbuthnot Latham reportedly declined to explain the freeze beyond citing "compliance checks", and police are now investigating the payments.