Richard Tice defended accepting a £1million donation from the mother of convicted fraudster and Nigel Farage ally 'Posh George' that is the subject of a criminal investigation, saying it came from a 'very successful aristocratic family'.Reform's deputy leader said Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell, was a 'permissible donor' today amid a deepening row over the sources of the party's money.Mrs Cottrell is said to have given the sum to Britain Means Business, described as a Reform fundraising vehicle of which Mr Tice is a director, before it moved half on to the party itself.The transaction is among those flagged by bankers to the National Crime Agency (NCA) in suspicious activity reports, according to the Guardian.There is also an investigation by the Metropolitan Police into £500,000 Mrs Cottrell donated directly to Reform.But Mr Tice said they were the victims of a 'politically motivated smear' against the party, having previously accused the NCA of deliberately leaking private information.Asked if any due diligence was done where Ms Cottrell had got the money from, he told Times Radio: 'I've known the Cottrell family, my family have known the Cottrell family and the broader Hesketh family, for 50 years.'A very successful aristocratic family, and as far as I'm concerned, she's a permissible donor and that's the end of it.'It comes as party leader Mr Farage prepares to fight a by-election in his Clacton seat on a 'people v the establishment ticket' after questions about his own financial situation.But his main opponent is likely to be comedy candidate Count Binface after the mainstream parties boycotted the contest.Tendring Council today confirmed the vote will take place on August 13. Reform's deputy leader said Fiona Cottrell, the mother of George Cottrell, was a 'permissible donor' today amid a deepening row over the sources of the party's money Mr Farage is currently the subject of an investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a £5 million. He is also being probed over financial and other assistance from Posh George (above, left), he confirmed this weekAccording to The Times, Ms Cottrell made two £250,000 payments to Reform before the last general election in 2024, in which Mr Farage became an MP for the first time.Both sums are said to have been given before Mr Farage announced his intention to stand in his former Commons seat of Clacton.The Metropolitan Police has said the force opened an inquiry in February 2025 following a referral by the Electoral Commission 'relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK general election'. A spokesperson for the force said two people had so far been interviewed under caution and 'early investigative advice' had been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service, but no arrests have been made. Asked whether he was aware of the probe, Mr Tice said: 'No, that's absolutely the first time I've heard of this investigation. And isn't it a coincidence that it's suddenly been leaked out the same week as all the stuff's come out of the National Crime Agency?'He added: 'This is all a politically motivated smear campaign. It's outrageous.'Mr Farage is currently the subject of an investigation by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg over whether his failure to declare the £5 million gift on becoming an MP in 2024 breached Commons rules.He is also being probed over financial and other assistance from Posh George, he confirmed this week. The Binface manifesto Here are some of Count Binface's policies: Bring back Ceefax 'Nationalise' the signer Adele as 'a creative powerhouse and a one-woman GDP boost'. 'Cut your taxes, and raise everyone else's'.Force cyclists who break the highway code to ride unicycles insteadBuild at least one affordable houseMilitary conscription for people using speakerphones on public transportWifi on trains that works, trains that work Abolish auto-renew on online subscriptions That investigation was suspended on his resignation, but is likely to resume if he wins the by-election and returns to the Commons.If he is found to have broken the rules and a suspension of more than 10 days is imposed, it could trigger a recall petition and the prospect of Mr Farage losing his seat, forcing a second contest.Mr Farage said he believed he was facing the 'anti-Trump playbook' and accused other parties of 'acting in concert' with each other to boycott the by-election.US president Donald Trump appeared to indicate his backing for the Reform UK leader earlier this week, sharing a link to an article from the National Pulse website headlined: 'They're Running The 2024 Anti-Trump Playbook On Nigel Farage' on his Truth Social platform.Asked about the post, Mr Farage told TalkTV: 'Well, that's what I believe, and that's why I thought: let's put it to the public.'He said there should be a general election as well as a by-election, claiming Andy Burnham will have 'no mandate of any kind at all, and the public are pretty sick of this game of musical chairs that goes on in No 10'.Hitting out at other Westminster parties, Mr Farage said: 'They have acted in concert with each other as the uniparty. They're trying to turn it into a joke.'It comes after Mr Farage attacked Parliament's Standards Committee, which oversees the commissioner's work and could impose a sanction if he is found to have broken the rules, saying it was 'completely subjective'.