British police are investigating payments totalling £500,000 made to Reform UK by Britain Means Business, a company controlled by the party's deputy leader Richard Tice, ahead of the 2024 general election.
The Metropolitan Police launched the probe in February 2025 following a referral by the Electoral Commission. Investigators are examining two £250,000 donations from Tice's company in June 2024, which were made shortly after the firm received a £1 million transfer from donor Fiona Cottrell. Two additional direct donations of £250,000 each from Cottrell to Reform UK in May 2024 are also under scrutiny. The transfer to Britain Means Business was flagged to the National Crime Agency via a suspicious activity report, and Reform UK's bank account was frozen for up to two weeks around the election.
Fiona Cottrell and her son George Cottrell, who previously served eight months in a US prison for wire fraud, have been interviewed under criminal caution. No arrests have been made.