the news now

The world's news, cross-checked among reputable sources.

This is a new development in a story we have covered before · earlier coverage

Reform UK Conference Overshadowed by Illegal Donation Allegations

morning · · thread: Reform UK Launches Annual Conference Amid Growth and Legal Scrutiny

9 sources across 7 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited
  • The Independent United Kingdom · Centre-left · Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel and Evgeny Lebedev
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • Politico Europe Belgium · Centre · Axel Springer SE
  • Le Monde France · Centre-left · Fonds pour l'independance de la presse
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
  • Corriere della Sera Italy · Centre-right · RCS MediaGroup (Cairo Communication)
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • Neue Zuercher Zeitung Switzerland · Centre-right · Dispersed shareholders, no controlling stake

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Nigel Farage and Reform UK are facing police scrutiny and internal turmoil following an undercover investigation into the party's funding practices. The controversy emerged on the eve of the party's annual conference in Birmingham, where two senior officials, chief of staff Dan Jukes and head of policy James Orr, were suspended or removed from their posts. An investigation by Verbatim, a group founded by journalists from the Centre for Climate Reporting and broadcast by Channel 4 News, filmed the aides appearing to orchestrate a way to secure illegal foreign donations. The footage suggests the party accepted 32,500 pounds from a US firm to pay for polling and discussed a potential 500,000 pound donation from a fake US businessman via a UK intermediary. The Metropolitan Police are assessing evidence following complaints from the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties. Nigel Farage denied any wrongdoing, describing the operation as an exercise in entrapment and the comments made by his aides as loose pub talk. He insisted that no laws were broken and no illegal money was taken. Despite the scandal, Farage used his conference speech to outline a 100 day plan for government, which includes declaring a national emergency to stop small boat crossings and threatening to overhaul the House of Lords and the judiciary if they obstruct his policies. During the event, Farage also signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan Bardella, president of France's National Rally, to coordinate anti immigration efforts. The party's leadership has framed the investigation as a coordinated attack by left wing activists, while critics point to a pattern of financial opacity, including a previously undeclared 5 million pound gift received by Farage.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
These outlets framed the event as a sign of systemic sleaze and a dangerous disregard for the law by Farage and his team.
Centre
These outlets focused on the policy implications of the conference and the factual details of the funding investigation.
Centre-right
These outlets highlighted the role of left wing activists in setting a trap for the party leadership.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.