The Guardian view on Reform’s funding scandal: Nigel Farage has questions to answer | Editorial
An undercover investigation raises issues around foreign money, political transparency and the rightwing populist party’s fitness for powerReform UK’s conference was to open showcasing a party ready for government. It...
By Editorial · The Guardian Opinion
An undercover investigation raises issues around foreign money, political transparency and the rightwing populist party’s fitness for power Reform UK’s conference was to open showcasing a party ready for government. It did so with two top aides removed after an investigation aired on Channel 4 , its finances under police scrutiny and seven in 10 voters, polls suggest, regarding its leader, Nigel Farage, as sleazy – double the number who thought the same of Andy Burnham. Reform, a rightwing populist party, says it will take power back from a corrupt establishment. The latest scandal raises a question: does Reform oppose the influence of big money – or just who benefits from it? Undercover reporters from Verbatim Investigations , founded by journalists from the US Center for Climate Reporting, pretended to be a wealthy American father and his UK-based son who wanted to donate to Reform. In the UK, foreign donations are banned from politics. But that allegedly was ignored. Verbatim’s team filmed their meetings with James Orr, a Cambridge academic specialising in ethics, and Reform’s head of policy, as well as with Dan Jukes, Mr Farage’s close aide. Both have been “ removed ” from their posts. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here . Continue reading...