Nigel Farage has admitted the row over alleged foreign donations to Reform UK "looks bad" for the party, but insisted it never breached electoral law by accepting foreign money. The controversy erupted after an undercover investigation filmed his close aide Dan Jukes and head of policy James Orr apparently discussing ways to circumvent donation rules, prompting Farage to suspend both men. The affair matters because it threatens Reform's claim to represent a cleaner form of politics, and it comes as the Metropolitan Police weigh launching a formal investigation into whether the party and its aides broke political funding laws.

Scotland Yard is assessing evidence following a complaint, with sources suggesting a full inquiry is likely, potentially extending an existing probe into donations allegedly funnelled through an intermediary from impermissible sources; all involved deny wrongdoing. Farage told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg the aides' comments were "injudicious at best" and claimed he "wasn't even listening" during the meeting in question, while insisting he knows donation law "better than anybody." Reform's Robert Jenrick said legal advice confirmed no law had been broken but that "lessons would be learnt," while Labour's Jonathan Reynolds accused the party of hypocrisy over its stance on foreign money. The row adds to existing scrutiny of Reform's finances, including a £5m donation from a crypto billionaire ahead of the 2024 election.