London’s Metropolitan Police are looking into at least £500,000 — roughly $671,300 — in donations made to Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party, according to a report from the Times newspaper. The funds in question were allegedly contributed by the mother of a close political associate of Farage who was convicted of wire fraud.
In an official statement, police confirmed the scope of the inquiry, saying they are examining potential violations of laws that govern political party donations. Those violations could include hiding the true source of funding or providing false information to a party treasurer.
“An investigation was launched in February 2025 after a referral was made to the Metropolitan Police by the Electoral Commission relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK General Election,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
Authorities confirmed that two individuals have been interviewed as part of the investigation but stressed that no arrests have been made. Police declined to identify those connected to the donations under scrutiny.
The Times reported that investigators are focusing on payments made by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell, to Reform UK prior to the 2024 election. George Cottrell, described as a long-standing political ally of Farage, served prison time in the United States in 2017 after pleading guilty to wire fraud. He currently works in the cryptocurrency industry.
Farage has been under growing pressure for weeks over questions surrounding his party’s finances and his own financial dealings. Those questions include undisclosed gifts from a cryptocurrency billionaire investor and ties to Cottrell, who has a fraud conviction in the U.S.
Farage has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He has argued that he received a donation from the crypto investor before he formally announced his candidacy in the 2024 election and therefore was not required to disclose it.
In a surprising move earlier this week, Farage — a leading voice behind Brexit — announced he would give up his parliamentary seat and run for it again, framing the decision as a way to seek a public vote of confidence amid the ongoing scrutiny of his finances.
