Police are investigating more than £500,000 in donations made to Reform UK before the 2024 general election, following a referral from the Electoral Commission.
The Metropolitan Police said the inquiry relates to possible offences under laws governing political donations, including allegations of concealing the true source of funding or providing false information to a party's treasurer.
A spokesperson for the force said the investigation began in February 2025 after the Electoral Commission referred concerns about donations made ahead of the 2024 UK General Election.
Officers have interviewed two people under caution, but no arrests have been made. Police have not identified those involved.
The investigation was first reported by The Times, which said it centres on donations totalling at least £500,000 made to Reform UK by the mother of George Cottrell, a long-time political associate of Reform leader Nigel Farage. Cottrell served a prison sentence in the United States after pleading guilty to wire fraud in 2017 and now works in the cryptocurrency sector.
Mr Cottrell did not immediately respond to requests for comment left through a company where he is listed as a director.
Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, described the investigation as a "politically motivated smear campaign" during an interview with local radio. The party did not respond to further requests for comment.
The inquiry comes as Mr Farage faces renewed scrutiny over Reform UK's finances and his own financial disclosures. In recent weeks, questions have been raised about gifts he received from a cryptocurrency investor and from Mr Cottrell.
Mr Farage has denied any wrongdoing. He has said the donation from the cryptocurrency investor was received before he announced his candidacy in the 2024 general election and therefore did not have to be declared under parliamentary rules.
Earlier this week, Mr Farage announced he would resign his parliamentary seat and contest it again in a by-election, saying he wanted voters to deliver a fresh mandate following criticism of his financial affairs.
Meanwhile, a poll published this week by Electoral Calculus suggested Reform UK had fallen from first to third place in voting intentions, behind Labour and the Conservatives. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.
