Farage denies wrongdoing after undercover sting disrupts Reform UK conference

British right-wing leader Nigel Farage faced a media sting over political finance as Reform UK's annual conference opened in Birmingham, forcing him to defend the party against claims it discussed banned foreign donations. He removed two aides after undercover footage showed them discussing such funding. Channel 4 broadcast hidden-camera footage of Reform aides discussing accepting £500,000 from a wealthy American via his son, who was actually an actor and reporter from investigative group Verbatim. Labour called for a police investigation, adding to existing parliamentary inquiries into cryptocurrency-linked donors. Farage admitted "loose pub talk" but denied any law-breaking. The scandal undercut Reform's conference, where Farage and French ally Jordan Bardella planned cooperation on stopping asylum seeker boats. Reform has lost its poll lead to Labour under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, with both parties tied at 23 percent support in a September 1 YouGov survey.