The Metropolitan police have launched an investigation into payments to Reform UK that were first revealed by the Guardian. The inquiry focuses on two donations of £250,000 made to the party by Britain Means Business in the weeks before the 2024 general election. The company is controlled by Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice.
Donation trail
The Guardian earlier reported that Fiona Cottrell made a £1m transfer to Britain Means Business shortly before the donations were made. About half of those funds were then passed to the party. Fiona Cottrell's son, George, is a convicted fraudster with close links to Reform leader Nigel Farage.
Both Fiona and George Cottrell have been interviewed under criminal caution as part of the police investigation, according to the Guardian's earlier reporting.
Tice responds
When asked by the BBC about the investigation, Richard 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?”
Fiona Cottrell also made two direct donations of £250,000 each to Reform UK in May 2024, which are also within the scope of the Met investigation.
Company director
Tice, elected to parliament in the 2024 election, is the sole director of Britain Means Business. He has previously acknowledged that his company received donations from Fiona Cottrell but dismissed the reports as a “politically motivated smear campaign.”
The Guardian revealed that the £1m transfer from Fiona Cottrell to Britain Means Business was reported to the National Crime Agency by bankers via a suspicious activity report. Such reports are not crime reports but are used to identify potential money laundering.
The Guardian understands that neither the NCA nor bankers have been able to trace the source of the original £1m sent by Fiona Cottrell to Tice's company. The NCA is seeking help from a foreign partner in its attempts to determine where the money originated.
Party statement
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Reform 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.”
Fiona Cottrell did not respond to the Guardian's attempts to contact her about the donations to Britain Means Business.
Police statement
When asked about the developments by the BBC on Saturday evening, the Metropolitan police repeated a statement issued earlier in the month. The force 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. Detectives from the Met’s special enquiry team are investigating alleged offences under section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Early investigative advice has been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service and two people have so far been interviewed under caution. No arrests have been made. An offence under this section is not one that the Electoral Commission can investigate and, as such, it is a matter for the police.”
