Police investigate donations by Richard Tice company to Reform UK

Police are currently investigating payments made to Reform UK by a company owned and controlled by the party’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, according to information obtained by BBC News. The company, Britain Means Business, contributed two donations of £250,000 each to the party shortly before the 2024 general election, during the period when Tice was serving as party chairman.

Richard Tice has stated that the money was provided to his company by Fiona Cottrell, a prominent donor to Reform UK and the mother of George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster who has close ties to former MP Nigel Farage. Responding to the investigation, Tice said, “This is the first I have heard of it – if true why are the Met Police briefing the BBC before contacting interested parties? Is the Met leadership now engaged in the widespread politically motivated smear campaign against Reform and its leaders?”

Earlier reports by The Times revealed that the Metropolitan Police was also scrutinizing two donations made directly by Fiona Cottrell to Reform UK in May 2024. These inquiries focus on electoral laws prohibiting the concealment or misrepresentation of donations from impermissible donors, including inaccurate disclosure of the amount or source of funding. The BBC has reached out to Fiona Cottrell for comment, but no response has been reported.

Further financial details show that Britain Means Business received £1 million from Fiona Cottrell in June 2024. According to records filed with the Electoral Commission, the company then donated £500,000 of that amount to Reform UK within the same month. Tice has claimed that the decision for his company to pass on half of the funds to Reform UK was entirely his choice. These transactions came to light through Suspicious Activity Reports submitted to the National Crime Agency, as revealed by The Guardian. The BBC has since learned that these payments are part of a wider investigation by the Metropolitan Police into Reform UK’s donations, and the party was apparently unaware of the probe involving Britain Means Business. A spokesperson for Reform UK emphasized that the party “takes pride in its stringent vetting of donations and always ensures that the Electoral Commission guidelines on donations, as set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, are strictly followed, as has been the case with donations so far.”

The political controversy extends to Fiona Cottrell’s son, George Cottrell, who recently has been under scrutiny. The Sunday Times reported that George Cottrell financially supported Nigel Farage by covering staff and security costs prior to the 2024 election. However, these contributions were not declared after Farage became an MP. Farage stepped down from Parliament and is now seeking re-election in the Clacton constituency. Farage insists that any financial support received before becoming an MP was given personally and did not require declaration. George Cottrell’s lawyers denied the allegations described by The Sunday Times and insisted that all donations made by Fiona Cottrell were entirely her own decision, refuting any claims that he transferred funds to her for onward donation.

George Cottrell has been a close ally of the Reform UK leader for some time. After pleading guilty to fraud in the United States and serving eight months in jail, he returned to the UK in 2017 and currently resides in Montenegro. Commenting on recent reports, Nigel Farage admitted at a rally in Norfolk that he had “absolutely no idea” whether George Cottrell gave money to his mother to donate to the party, adding, “What’s it got to do with me how families sort out their finances? If the money was hers legally and she gave the donation, I don’t see what the problem is.”

Britain Means Business was originally established in August 2017 under the name Leave Means Leave, with a focus on campaigning for a “clean Brexit.” The organisation was founded by Richard Tice and John Longworth, a former leader of the British Chambers of Commerce and noted Brexit advocate. Longworth left the group in January 2020, coinciding with the UK’s official departure from the European Union. Shortly thereafter, Tice renamed the group Britain Means Business and currently maintains sole ownership and control

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More