In UK politics, another controversy unfolds: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is scheduled to appear on Laura Kuenssberg's Sunday politics programme at 9am, where he will likely face questions about an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The investigation showed two of his senior aides appearing to plot to circumvent electoral laws on foreign donations. Accepting donations from a foreign company, including in-kind donations such as polling, could constitute a criminal offence, and the party has been reported to the police.
Senior aide Dan Jukes and Reform's head of policy James Orr have both stood down pending an internal party investigation. Farage himself remains under pressure over a separate clip in which he was heard saying "it's all above board" after one of the reporters posing as the UK-based son of a wealthy US backer told the Reform leader he had been in discussions with Jukes and Orr for some time.
"I'll be the registered donor," the son says. "But then dad will send the money to me, and then as soon as that's done and all those conversations are had the money is available." On Saturday, during the party's conference in Birmingham, Farage continued to bat away suggestions of impropriety. "I'm not a compliance officer," he told the BBC. "I frankly wasn't even listening," he said regarding the meeting with undercover reporters in Clacton.
Farage has framed the investigation, carried out by Verbatim Investigations, founded by journalists from the Centre for Climate Reporting, as another example of an establishment stitch-up, and has denied any wrongdoing, as have Orr and Jukes. This scandal could be a significant blow to Farage as he seeks to grow his party. The investigation is ongoing, and police response is awaited.