Calls for Farage to face criminal investigation after appearing to accept ‘illicit foreign donations’ in undercover footage

It comes following an undercover Channel 4 report

An undercover investigation led by Channel 4, Verbatim and a group of investigative journalists showed how Reform UK were willing to find ways to bend the law on party funding to secure foreign investment.

The operation saw Louis Wilson from Verbatim go undercover, posing as the UK-based son of a wealthy American businessman wanting to donate to Reform UK.

The investigation focused on Dan Jukes, Nigel Farage's Chief of Staff, and James Orr, Reform's head of policy.

Footage shows Wilson meeting with the two men who openly admitted on camera ways to circumvent the law.

Jukes was captured saying: "Those little clandestine projects are so valuable".

While Orr said: "The reality is we could easily get away with it".

The investigation pivoted around a supposedly independent poll which ending up on the front page of The Telegraph which was in fact commissioned by Reform and funded with money from the undercover journalists posing as the wealthy American businessman and his son.

The public was not told that Reform UK had commissioned the polls and would be arranging for an “off the book” backer to fund them with the three polls costing £32,500 all in.

In another undercover meeting with Orr, the Reform man told Wilson, "I won't breathe a word of this to anybody," after saying he knew a way of getting an invoice to him.

In the report, Wilson says he then paid £18,000 from an American bank account.

Full video on investigation on Channel 4 News:

He then went on to say that he was curious to know if Farage knew about the arrangement.

The report cuts to undercover footage of Orr saying that "Nigel doesn't know and won't know, it's the kind of thing he'd rather not know about."

The climax to the report comes as Wilson sits down with Farage himself and an actor posing as his American businessman father as they discuss the donation.

After the actor says he was "thrilled to pick up the tab" for the commissioned polls, Farage responds, "yes, that was great".

He added: "It worked, boom. For in fact a relatively modest investment. Bang for buck."

The report then moves on to Wilson saying he had spoken to Jukes and Orr about an "illicit" donation of £500,000 to the party.

At the dinner table, it's explained to Farage that his 'dad' would send the money to Wilson who would act as the registered donor in the UK.

An Instagram post by Verbatim says that they understand Jukes and Orr deny the allegations in full.

Meanwhile The Telegraph said it believed it had been "misled" and that it was reviewing its relationship with the polling company.

Speaking to Channel 4, Bob Posner, a lawyer and former Chief Executive of the UK Electoral Commission, said there should now be a criminal investigation as “serious criminal offences” may have been committed.