In July 2026, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they were investigating £500,000 of donations made to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of convicted fraudster George Cottrell. The case has thrown a spotlight on the strict rules governing who can give money to political parties in Britain – and what happens when those rules are allegedly broken.
At its simplest, UK law says that only individuals and organisations that are “permissible donors” can give more than £500 to a political party. Permissible donors must be on the UK electoral register (if an individual) or be a UK-based company, trade union, or similar entity. Donations from foreign citizens or companies based outside the UK are banned. The police investigation concerns whether Fiona Cottrell’s two £250,000 payments to Reform UK in May 2024 were designed to conceal the true source of the money – an offence under Section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. According to the Metropolitan Police, that section makes it a crime to “conceal or disguise” the identity of a donor or the amount given. The Electoral Commission referred the matter to the police in February 2025, and two people have been interviewed under caution but no arrests have been made.
“An explainer on UK political donation rules, using the Reform UK police investigation as a case study.”
The issue of political donations has long been controversial in the UK. The rules were tightened after the “cash for honours” scandal and other controversies in the early 2000s, but critics say enforcement is weak. The Electoral Commission, which oversees donation declarations, can only investigate certain types of offences; more serious allegations – like those involving concealment – are passed to the police. In this case, the donations from Fiona Cottrell are separate from a £1m payment made to a company run by Reform deputy leader Richard Tice in June 2024, which was reported to the National Crime Agency by bankers who could not trace the money’s origin.
For UK readers, this matters because it affects trust in the political system. Under current rules, parties must publish details of donations over £7,500 to the Electoral Commission, so voters can see who is funding them. If those rules are flouted, it can create the impression that hidden money is influencing elections. The Reform UK case also raises questions about donations made just before a general election – the first £250,000 appeared in Reform’s account on 9 May 2024, and the second on 29 May, less than six weeks before polling day. Nigel Farage, who became an MP at that election, has denied any wrongdoing.
Key questions answered: Q: Who can donate to a UK political party? A: Only permissible donors – individuals on the UK electoral register, UK-based companies, trade unions, or other entities that are ‘permissible’ under the 2000 Act. Donations over £500 from non-permissible donors are illegal.
Q: What happens if someone makes an illegal donation? A: The Electoral Commission can issue fines, but more serious offences – like concealing the donor’s identity – are referred to the police. Under Section 61, the maximum penalty is up to one year in prison or a fine.
Q: Are political parties required to declare all donations? A: Yes, but only those over £7,500 (for individual donations) or £11,000 (for aggregated donations from the same source in a year) must be reported to the Electoral Commission. Donations below those thresholds do not need to be made public.
What happens next? The Metropolitan Police investigation is ongoing. Two people have been interviewed but no charges have been filed. Separately, the National Crime Agency is looking into the £1m transfer to Richard Tice’s company. The Reform UK party has not been accused of wrongdoing, but the case has intensified scrutiny of its finances ahead of a byelection in Nigel Farage’s constituency.