Farage Claims Donations Row Stems From ‘Loose Pub Talk’

Nigel Farage has played down the accusations that Reform UK has accepted foreign donations and insisted the row stems from “loose pub talk”.

An undercover sting operation conducted by investigative group Verbatim and published in a Channel 4 News documentary has accused two top party aides of accepting US funds for the party.

Verbatim’s undercover reporters claim Reform’s head of policy James Orr and Farage’s close aide Dan Jukes took funding from a US company to commission three supposedly independent polls at £32,500 earlier this year.

British electoral law says political donations can only be made by someone eligible to vote in the UK or a UK-registered company.

The report also says Jukes suggested a way to get around those electoral rules to secure a £500,000 donation from the US to the party.

Reform initially denied any wrongdoing and called the operation a “hoax”. Orr and Jukes then stood down from their party posts on Friday morning.

During a press conference at Reform’s annual get-together in Birmingham, Farage read out a statement defending his party over the accusations.

The party leader denied wrongdoing around the poll and how it was paid for, instead pointing out names of potential other donors were bleeped out in the footage.

Farage said: “What is more problematic is loose pub talk, including a couple of boasts that simply were not true.

“So in the video, when he [Jukes] says we’ve done it with X, we’ve done it with Y – well, the reason Channel 4 haven’t broadcast the names of X and Y is because it isn’t true.

“Donations from the names that were mentioned had not occurred, don’t exist on the old comms site, don’t exist in our accounts.

“And while I’m aware that our people were pushed and pushed and pushed into saying these things, the comments were injudicious at best.

“Neither of these men was authorised to act in that way. Accordingly, they’ve stepped down pending an investigation.”

Reform UK says it is conducting an internal investigation into what happened but denies any wrongdoing.

The Electoral Commission said it is “in touch” with the Metropolitan Police after Channel 4 broadcast, though the police have not opened an investigation at the time of reporting.

Farage also accused the reporters of “entrapment”.

After a question from the BBC, he told the press conference: “Am I annoyed that these people even got to meet me? Yes I am, it should not have happened.

“The two individuals involved are not even part of our fundraising team, so they should have gone through the appropriate channels.

“Checks would have been made and they would never, ever have got to sit down at a table with me.”

Farage continued: “We have not taken an illegal penny in funding, that is important. The loose pub talk, frankly, there was a bit of boasting, a bit of jack-the-lad-dery going on there.

“If it was more serious than that, then I refer you back to the BBC’s question earlier, the names would have been put on to the programme and there would be a hell of a row. They don’t exist. Those donations don’t exist.”

Asked about the way Jukes, his close friend, is involved, Farage said: “I don’t like it at all. I’ve worked with Dan very closely for many years, many, many years, and I described it as loose pub talk, and that’s what it was, because what he said simply wasn’t true.

“He got put into a position and he should never have said what he did. I believe the investigation will find he should never have said one or two of the things that he said.”

The Clacton MP’s comments come after Farage admitted this morning to LBC that he is “not happy” about the row, but insisted: “The party has broken no laws. The party has not taken any dodgy money or anything like that whatsoever.”

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