The police will investigate the donations, the Times reported

Police are investigating a donation of at least £500,000 to Reform UK by the mother of a man who paid for Nigel Farage’s social media staff and security, The Times reports.

Fiona Cottrell is reportedly at the center of an ongoing investigation by the Metropolitan Police. The newspaper reported, External Officers have spent more than a year looking into crimes related to “circumventing restrictions on donations”.

Related to this, The Times used “falsified” information about a donation, including the amount or identity of a donation, to hide or disguise a contribution from an “unauthorized” donor to a political party.

The paper understands that the £250,000 payment Fiona Cottrell made to the reform before the last general election in 2024 is almost twice that.

The first donation appeared on the party’s account on May 9, 2024. The second appeared a few weeks later on May 29, a month before Election Day. The records of the donations have been published Election Commission, External.

Nigel Farage was elected as a member of the Commons for the first time in the election.

The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that Cottrell’s son, George Cottrell, had supported the Reform UK leader by paying staff and security before the election, but these benefits were not disclosed after Farage became an MP.

George Cottrell pleaded guilty to fraud in the United States and spent eight months in prison before being released in 2017.

George Cottrell’s lawyers said they “fully contest the allegations and comments made by The Sunday Times” in relation to his funding of Farage. The reform leader said he was innocent.

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police told the BBC: “An investigation was launched following a referral to the Metropolitan Police by the Electoral Commission in February 2025 after a donation was made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK general election.”

She added: “Detectives from the METEC Special Investigation Team are investigating the alleged offenses under Section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.”

“Preliminary investigation advice has been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service and so far two people have been interviewed under caution. No arrests have been made.”

“An offense under this section is not cognizable by the Election Commission and as such is a matter for the police.”

The Electoral Commission told the BBC: “The Metropolitan Police Service has issued a statement regarding the ongoing police investigation. We have no further comment.”

The BBC has attempted to contact Fiona Cottrell for comment.