Labour to report Reform to police over alleged foreign donation breach

Labour intends to report Reform UK to police over alleged breaches of donation rules, following undercover footage in which Reform officials are said to have discussed breaking the law on foreign donations. The Guardian reports that the film shows Reform officials plotting to accept donations from foreign sources, which would breach electoral law.

Reform UK has recently accepted a donation from a company linked to Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly, according to GB News. The party also received another donation from a crypto billionaire pardoned by Donald Trump, the Mirror and Independent report. The question now is whether any of these donations fall foul of the rules restricting foreign money in British politics.

The machinery here matters. British electoral law permits donations only from permissible sources - individuals on the UK electoral roll, UK-registered companies trading in Britain, and certain unions. A company registered here but controlled abroad sits in a grey area: lawful if it meets the trading test, unlawful if it is a shell. The distinction turns on who writes the cheque and where the money originates, not where the company is incorporated. Every donation over a threshold must be declared, and the Electoral Commission may investigate.

What to watch: whether Labour formally refers the matter to the Metropolitan Police, and whether the Electoral Commission opens an inquiry. If the undercover footage is as alleged, the next question is whether any donation can be traced to a foreign source through a UK-registered intermediary.