LONDON: Britain’s hard-right Reform UK party was facing new questions about financial gifts on Friday after a report said police were investigating donations by the mother of a convicted fraudster.
It came as authorities confirmed that a snap UK vote in which Reform leader Nigel Farage will go up against novelty candidate Count Binface will take place on August 13.
Reform, an anti-immigration group that has led the ruling Labour party in opinion polls for well over a year, is facing intense scrutiny over several alleged undeclared donations.
The Times reported late Thursday that London’s Metropolitan police is investigating some £500,000 ($670,000) in donations to Reform from Fiona Cottrell, a wealthy aristocrat.
According to the newspaper, she made the payments before the last general election in July 2024, when Farage became a member of parliament for the first time.
