Reform UK handed fine after breaking electoral law

The party broke rules relating to campaign material.

The election watchdog found that the right-wing party failed to put digital imprints on its social media accounts and ran an advert in The Telegraph which did not have an imprint either. 

Imprints are information included on campaign material that informs voters who has produced it.

The Electoral Commission ordered Reform to pay an initial fine of £1,750. But after they missed the deadline to pay it, the sum was increased to £2187.50, which Reform has since paid, the Guardian reports.

An investigation from the watchdog found that three accounts run by Reform on X, Instagram and LinkedIn did not have digital imprints between at least November 2025 and January 2026.

The party also published an ad in the Telegraph in February promoting Robert Jenrick that did not have an imprint.

The watchdog said it found that “the purpose of the advertisement was to promote Reform UK and procure the electoral success of Reform UK candidates in the upcoming elections of May 2026”. 

The Electoral Commission has fined Reform UK and Britain First. Britain First for "failure to deliver its 2024 statement of accounts by the statutory deadline" Reform UK for "failure to comply with imprint requirements". The Reform fine was increased after they missed the payment deadline.

[image or embed]

— Josiah Mortimer (@josiahmortimer.bsky.social) 21 October 2026 at 10:51

Jackie Killeen, Director of Electoral Administration and Regulation at the Electoral Commission, said: “The UK’s political finance and imprints laws are there to ensure transparency in both the finances of political parties and the materials produced to influence voters. It’s important that parties comply with the requirements”

This is not the first time Reform have been accused of not being clear that about campaign material.

During the Gorton and Denton by-election, the party sent out a letter designed to look as if it was handwritten by a “concerned pensioner” called Patricia Clegg.

In the letter, the writer says she no longer wants to vote Labour and will be backing Reform.

The letter did not state that this was campaign material from Reform. The case went to the High Court, where Reform’s lawyers said it was an “honest administrative error.”

The judge concluded Reform’s candidate in the by-election, Matt Goodwin, and his election agent should not be charged over the matter.

Before this, Reform had pulled a similar tactic in the Caerphilly by-election, where they had also sent a letter to voters which appeared to be handwritten from an “elderly” neighbour who was switching from Labour to Reform.

Whilst the letter did included small print stating it was Reform campaign material, locals labelled it “deceptive.”