Reform UK expels Farage aides over US-funded poll scandal

Nigel Farage's Reform UK party has expelled two senior aides following an investigation alleging they facilitated US-funded polls favorable to the party, potentially breaching electoral law. The party also faces accusations of using fraudulent methods to accept foreign donations. An undercover Channel 4 investigation by Verbatim recorded policy chief James Orr and senior adviser Dan Jukes negotiating over £30,000 from a fake American donor for three polls by JL Partners, published without disclosing Reform UK's involvement. Jukes also suggested disguising up to £500,000 as British donations. Farage denies wrongdoing, calling it entrapment. The Electoral Commission is reviewing the case with police, though no formal investigation has opened. This follows a separate probe into an undeclared £5 million gift from crypto magnate Christopher Harborne. The scandal emerges amid Reform UK's annual conference, with Farage's 2029 leadership ambitions threatened by Labour's Andy Burnham and rival Restore Britain.