Metro, on UK Politics, 27 October 2026

6.0out of 10Serious

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.3 findings

More than £22,000,000 in donations to Reform came from abroad (Picture: Getty) from the Electoral Commission revealed that Reform UK’s donations have been . 80% of donations to Nigel Farage’s political party were made by donors or companies based overseas. It’s a stark comparison to Labour, which received just 0.15% of its funding from overseas and . £22,440,000 was donated to Reform by those outside of the UK, with just £7,220,000 being contributed from people based in the country.

There is no indication of wrongdoing, but . Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson told the Independent: ‘The scale of Reform’s reliance on donations from wealthy overseas backers raises further questions about the party’s financial affairs. Farage and Jenrick gave a speech yesterday about how Britain is Broke (Picture: Getty) ‘The public deserves to know exactly who is bankrolling Nigel Farage’s party, what interests these donors are seeking to advance, and whether those interests align with the priorities of the British people.’

She added: ‘While Farage pushes ever more extreme policies to try and distract from the sleaze and scandal engulfing Reform, this Labour government is working to strengthen our political finance laws and better protect our democracy from foreign influence.’ Earlier this month, Reform UK concluded that it did not break electoral law after senior figures were secretly filmed discussing how foreign donations could be handled. The party launched its own investigation following a Channel 4 News report which showed senior figures discussing a potential £500,000 donation from an alleged foreign donor.

Its 27-page report found no evidence that laws had been broken, but admitted that two senior figures had said things that were ‘wrong, careless and in one instance untrue’. The investigation also concluded that the £500,000 donation discussed in the footage never took place. It found that Dan Jukes, a consultant working with several clients, commissioned the polling discussed by undercover reporters, rather than Reform. Orr was criticised for suggesting nobody would discover impermissible donations and for making ‘extremely condescending’ comments about the Electoral Commission.

Jukes similarly faced criticism for describing polling arrangements as ‘clandestine’ and ‘off the books’, which the investigation said made a lawful arrangement appear suspicious. Both men were suspended after the Channel 4 report, while the Metropolitan Police is separately investigating the allegations. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.

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What we found (3)

Metro headlines and repeats a figure of 80% of Reform's donations coming from overseas, but its own totals of £22.44m from abroad and £7.22m from the UK work out at about 76%. It then calls this "almost entirely" funded from abroad, compares parties over periods it does not make clear, and adds unattributed shock in its own voice.

  1. Uses figures that mislead

    Serious

    “80% of Reform donations this year came from overseas”

    Why this matters
    The headline states as fact that 80% of Reform's donations came from overseas.
    The impression it gives
    A reader believes four in every five pounds Reform received came from abroad.
    The context
    The article's own totals are £22,440,000 from abroad and £7,220,000 from the UK. That makes £29,660,000 in all, of which the overseas share is about 76%, not 80%.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“£22,440,000 was donated to Reform by those outside of the UK, with just £7,220,000 being contributed from people based in the country”

    Show it in the article

    “almost entirely funded from abroad”

    Why this matters
    Metro, in its own voice, describes Reform's donations as almost entirely from abroad.
    The impression it gives
    A reader believes Reform has next to no domestic donors.
    The context
    By the article's own figures, more than £7.2m, about a quarter of the total, came from people based in the UK. That is far from almost nothing.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“£7,220,000 being contributed from people based in the country”

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    Electoral Commission figures show about three-quarters of Reform UK's donations, £22.44m out of £29.66m, came from donors or companies based overseas.

  2. Uses figures that mislead

    Minor

    “the Tories, which received 3.57% of their donations from overseas since July 2025”

    Why this matters
    Metro sets the Conservative share "since July 2025" beside a Reform share the headline describes as "this year", and gives no period for Labour's 0.15%.
    The impression it gives
    A reader believes the three parties' shares are measured over the same period and can be compared directly.
    The context
    The article states different or missing periods for each party, so it never shows that the comparison is like for like.

    How we know

    • In the headline“80% of Reform donations this year”

    Show it in the article

  3. Uses a loaded word

    Minor

    “Shocking new data”

    Why this matters
    Metro calls the Electoral Commission figures "shocking" in its own voice.
    The impression it gives
    A reader is told how to react before being given the numbers.
    The context
    The figures are donation totals. The article itself states there is no indication of wrongdoing.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“There is no indication of wrongdoing”

    Show it in the article

    “the numbers have shocked many in Westminster”

    Why this matters
    Metro asserts that many in Westminster were shocked but names no one except a Labour opponent quoted later.
    The impression it gives
    A reader believes there is broad cross-party alarm at Westminster.
    The context
    The only reaction quoted is from Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson, a political rival of Reform.

    How we know

    • Elsewhere in the article“Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson told the Independent”

    Show it in the article

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