Robert Jenrick: I got a donation for the Tory leadership campaign

Police in 2010 A donation to Robert Jenrick’s Conservative leadership campaign in 2024 is being investigated, BBC News understands.

The Electoral Commission has been looking into a claim for £37,500 donated to the Generic campaign from overseas. The information was passed from the commission to the Metropolitan Police in January this year.

The force has now confirmed it has launched a formal investigation “into donations linked to political party leadership campaigns”. Foreign donations to UK politicians are prohibited under electoral law.

The Metropolitan Police has not said who may be arrested in connection with the investigation.

“The allegations are completely false,” Jenrick said.

“I have no contact with the Met Police in relation to this matter,” he added.

Jenrick is a Reform MP having defected from the Conservatives to Nigel Farage’s party earlier this year.

In the year He ran to replace Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader in the summer of 2024, when he came second to Kimi Badenoch.

As the Guardian first reported in April, the Electoral Commission began investigating allegations relating to a £100,000 donation from the company Spot Fits to the Generic campaign.

In September 2024, British businessman Philip Ullman revealed that he was the man behind these donations.

However, the Electoral Commission has been investigating claims that £37,5000 of this money came from US company Innoviz.

Innoviz was founded in 2024 by American businessman Gary Klopfenstein, who was convicted of wire fraud.

A Generic spokesman said: “The suggestion that Robert knowingly accepted impermissible donations is a false, politically motivated smear made by the Conservatives years later, despite the fact that Mr Ullman was introduced to Robert in the Tory parliament and the approval of the donation was scrutinised.

“Robert and his campaign team complied with all election rules in 2024 when they accepted the donation from Spot Fitness Ltd.

“Mr Jenrich never met, spoke to or had contact with Mr Klopfenstein, nor did he know of any connection between him and Mr Ullman’s donation until he was contacted by the Electoral Commission.

“In 2025, he has fully cooperated with the Electoral Commission’s request by providing detailed information that clearly refutes these frauds.”

The Conservative Party says all candidates in the 2024 leadership race have recalled a law that treats donations as permitted.

A spokesman for Ullman declined to comment.

A Met Police spokesman said: “We launched an investigation on Tuesday January 6 following a referral from the Electoral Commission in relation to a political party leadership campaign. The investigation is ongoing.”