STORY
Two senior Reform UK officials have stepped down while the party investigates allegations concerning the funding of opinion polling. James Orr, the party’s head of policy, and Dan Jukes, a longstanding aide to Nigel Farage, were named in an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News.
The programme alleged that three polls costing £32,500 were paid for by a United States company after discussions involving people whom the officials believed represented a wealthy American donor. Reform UK said it had been targeted by a hoax and denied wrongdoing. Orr said no money had reached the party and described the polling as public work arranged by an independent individual who paid an independent pollster.
Reform UK said Orr and Jukes had stepped down to allow an independent and impartial internal inquiry to proceed. The allegations have also been reported to the police. The Electoral Commission said that information about any potential attempt to evade controls on political donations was a matter for the police to consider. No regulator, prosecuting authority or court has made a finding of wrongdoing against the party or the individuals involved.