Police investigate £500,000 Reform UK donations from mother of convicted fraudster
10 reported4 unconfirmed
Police are investigating two donations of £250,000 each made to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of convicted fraudster George Cottrell, an ally of Nigel Farage. The May 2024 donations are under investigation over whether they were intended to conceal a donation by an impermissible donor. The Metropolitan police said two people have been interviewed under caution, but no arrests have been made. The investigation was launched in February 2025 after a referral by the Electoral Commission. The donations appear separate from a deposit of about £1m that Fiona Cottrell made in June 2024 to a company run by Reform deputy leader Richard Tice, which was reported to the National Crime Agency by bankers. The police investigation is linked to section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, which makes it an offence to conceal or disguise the person or entity making a political donation. The Guardian reported that Fiona Cottrell has not responded to detailed questions about her financial involvement with Reform, and lawyers for George Cottrell refused to answer questions about his financial ties to his mother.
What’s reported
Police are investigating two donations of £250,000 each made to Reform UK by Fiona Cottrell in May 2024.
The investigation concerns whether the donations were intended to conceal a donation by an impermissible donor.
Two people have been interviewed under caution; no arrests have been made.
The investigation began in February 2025 after a referral from the Electoral Commission.
The donations appear separate from a £1m deposit Fiona Cottrell made in June 2024 to Britain Means Business, a company run by Richard Tice.
Bankers reported the £1m transfer to the National Crime Agency, which has been unable to trace its origin.
Fiona Cottrell has donated a total of £1.75m to Reform UK and Britain Means Business.
George Cottrell was jailed for wire fraud in 2017 and spent eight months in a US jail.
George Cottrell has denied via lawyers that he was a director of Tether.bet, an offshore gambling website.
Reform says George Cottrell has never had an official role in the party.
Open questions
Whether the May 2024 donations were intended to conceal an impermissible donor.
The origin of the £1m deposit to Britain Means Business.
The nature of the financial relationship between George Cottrell and his mother.
Whether George Cottrell is a permissible donor, as he is resident in Montenegro.
Key figures
Fiona Cottrell: mother of George Cottrell, donor to Reform UK
George Cottrell: convicted fraudster, ally of Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage: Reform UK leader
Richard Tice: Reform UK deputy leader
Metropolitan police: investigating the donations
Electoral Commission: referred the case to police
Sources: The Guardian
