Reform UK officials quit over undercover donations probe

Two Reform UK officials, James Orr and Dan Jukes, have stepped down and the party has launched an investigation following allegations they breached political donation rules by having polling paid for by an overseas company. The claims, aired by Channel 4 News, involved undercover reporters posing as a US financier and his UK-based son, who paid £32,500 for three polls. Footage showed Orr saying Farage "doesn't know, won't know" about the arrangement, while Jukes described the polling as "clandestine" and introduced the operative as a "key donor for off-the-book project". The scandal comes as Reform UK holds its annual conference in Birmingham, with Farage set to deliver his leader's speech. The party denies wrongdoing, calling it a "hoax", but rival parties have called for police and Electoral Commission investigations.