Pressure mounted on embattled Reform UK leader Nigel Farage at the hard-right party's conference on Friday after an undercover investigation alleged that senior officials had sought to circumvent rules on political donations.
The three-day event had been intended to serve as a reset for the anti-migrant leader, whose leadership had come under increasing scrutiny after a bruising summer dominated by questions over undisclosed financial gifts and falling poll numbers.
But secretly filmed footage aired by Channel 4 News on the eve of the conference cast a shadow over the event. The broadcast had already prompted the departure of two senior party figures before delegates arrived, while rival parties called for a police investigation.
The 30-minute programme alleged that Reform’s policy chief, James Orr, and Farage aide Dan Dukes had attempted to solicit a £500,000 donation from a foreign source, in apparent breach of UK electoral law.
The report, undertaken by investigative journalism group Verbatim, also said that the party had funded the commissioning of three polls with more than £30,000 of donations from an American company. Reform swiftly announced that Orr and Dukes would be stepping down from their roles and that it would carry out an internal investigation.
It also denied any wrongdoing and characterised the report as a "hoax perpetuated by foreign-funded, climate change activists".
"The party has done nothing wrong," Farage said in his closing speech, calling the investigation a "prolonged exercise in entrapment". He described the conversations in the film as "loose pub talk" and said that the party would investigate the "injudicious" comments.
Calls for criminal investigation
The allegations prompted Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens to call for a police investigation, arguing that accepting such funds could constitute a criminal offence because UK law bars foreign companies from donating to political parties.
"This scandal goes right to the top of Reform UK," Labour party chair Bridget Phillipson said.
The Metropolitan Police noted that it had not launched an investigation but that it would "assess this matter and any information provided".
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said: "We are considering all relevant information, in line with our regulatory remit, and we are in touch with the Met Police."
The latest scandal adds to the pressure on Farage, who is already facing a parliamentary investigation over an alleged undeclared £5 million financial gift from a billionaire investor.
'Stitch-up'
The allegations appeared to do little to dampen supporters’ enthusiasm on the conference floor. Farage received a hero’s welcome for his climactic address, while delegates cheered speakers’ calls for mass deportations, a crackdown on the Muslim community and deep cuts to the welfare state.
Multiple delegates echoed the party leadership that it had been the victim of a "stitch-up" when asked to comment by The New Arab.
Senior party figures brushed aside the allegations, framing them as an attack by the main political parties and appealing to attendees to stick by their leader.
Danny Kruger MP claimed the party had been the victim of a "conspiracy" perpetrated by an establishment under threat from Reform's popularity.
"Will you stand with Nigel?" Reform’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, asked the crowd at the end of his early-afternoon speech. "Yes" the audience shouted in response.
But outside the Birmingham NEC, the latest scandal is likely to further dent Reform's reputation.
The party has seen its polling figures slide over the past month, fuelled by questions over Farage's finances and Andy Burnham's appointment as prime minister.
Ahead of the conference, Reform recorded its worst More in Common poll rating in 18 months, with the survey placing the party third on 22 percent, behind Labour on 26 percent and the Conservatives on 23 percent.
Farage’s personal ratings have also deteriorated. A recent YouGov survey put his net favourability at -44, down from a peak of -27 last summer.
Protests mar Farage's big moment
Farage's keynote address faced extended disruption by protesters among the audience, who brought proceedings to a halt on four separate occasions heckling the party leader about his financial scandals.
Protesters were dragged out of the room by security guards while one woman was filmed being assaulted by people in the crowd. One demonstrator held up a banner that read: "Reform works for billionaires".
Farage had taken to the stage 20 minutes late due to what the party claimed was a security precaution by counter-terror police. West Midlands Police later said the decision was taken by Reform.
Greenpeace also displayed a banner on the stage for several minutes during deputy leader Richard Tice's speech. It depicted Farage as Mr Monopoly holding a sack of money and carried the slogan: "Collect £5 million, burn the planet."
"Reform disguise themselves as champions of ordinary people, but they’re funded by billionaires who profit from keeping us hooked on oil and gas, while the rest of us deal with the catastrophic climate consequences," said Amy Cameron, programme director for Greenpeace UK, in a statement.