George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster and close associate of Nigel Farage, transferred more than $2m to his mother, Fiona Cottrell, in the days before her 2024 donations to Reform UK, the Guardian understands.
Transfer details
Financial industry sources told the Guardian that Fiona received one deposit of $1.4m and two tranches of more than $300,000 each – money she attributed to having come from her son, George, when bankers asked about the deposits. On each occasion, transfers were made 24-72 hours before Fiona made a donation either directly to Reform, or via Britain Means Business, a fundraising vehicle for the party.
According to sources, the lump sums went through US-based cryptocurrency exchanges before entering Fiona’s account. Some were routed via money exchange services.
Donations timeline
Fiona gave two lots of £250,000 in May 2024, which were disclosed to the Electoral Commission. These donations were preceded by transfers of $318,878 and $328,815 from her son. She also gave more than £1m to Britain Means Business, a company controlled by the party’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, in June 2024. Half that sum was transferred directly to the party days later by Tice, with no declaration that it originated from Fiona.
Sources told the Guardian that $1,400,000 was deposited into Fiona’s account before she gave £1,075,000 to Britain Means Business on 10 June 2024.
Total sums
In total, George Cottrell deposited $2,047,693 into his mother’s account. Taking into account her 2024 donations to Britain Means Business and Reform UK, Fiona gave a total of £1.5m that year. These amounts are roughly equivalent, based on exchange rate data from May and June 2024.
Two Reform UK sources involved in party fundraising before the 2024 vote told the Guardian that George had assured senior party figures that some money would be on its way. “He was acting as a sort of shadow treasurer, saying he would find a way to get more money in,” one source said.
Responses and investigations
Lawyers for George Cottrell said their client had no further comment. In previous legal correspondence, George has not denied giving his mother large sums of money, but said via lawyers that “any political donations his mother has made have been entirely her own decision, and are a matter for her”. Fiona Cottrell has not responded to several attempts by the Guardian to contact her.
The Metropolitan police are investigating the funding of Reform UK, with a focus on whether there were attempts to disguise the ultimate source of donations. The Met said: “An investigation was launched in February 2025 after a referral was made to the Metropolitan police by the Electoral Commission relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK general election.” Two people have been interviewed under caution; no arrests have been made.
A Reform UK spokesperson denied that George acted as a shadow treasurer, stating: “We deny this completely. Reform takes pride in its stringent vetting of donations and always ensures that the Electoral Commission guidelines on donations… are strictly followed, as has been the case with all donations.”
