Labour claims ‘whitewash’ after Reform inquiry clears staff over Channel 4 sting

• An internal 27-page investigation commissioned by Reform UK has concluded that the party did not break electoral law following an undercover Channel 4 News report examining potential foreign donations.
• The report found no evidence that an alleged £500,000 foreign donation took place or that illegal funding was accepted, although it admitted senior aides Dan Jukes and James Orr used careless, wrong, and untrue language regarding concealment.
• Reform UK stated it intends to take legal action against production company Verbatim Investigations for acting unlawfully, whereas Channel 4 News and Verbatim both defended their journalism following rigorous pre-broadcast legal scrutiny.
• The Labour Party labelled the internal report a whitewash that does not exonerate Nigel Farage or his party, pointing out that a Metropolitan Police inquiry into the alleged campaign funding arrangements is still active.
• To improve future party governance, the report recommended implementing stricter donor identity checks earlier in the vetting process and requiring contractors to provide detailed disclosures of their other clients.

IN FULL

Reform did not breach electoral law in foreign donations discussion, party finds