Reform has a kettle problem
Freud told a joke about a borrowed kettle. Returned with a hole in it, the borrower says three things at once: he never borrowed it, the hole was already there, and it was fine when he gave it back. Each defence works on its own. Together they sink him. Reform UK has spent five days doing the kettle.
The short version, since everyone has seen it. On 3 September Channel 4 News ran a film by Verbatim Investigations. Undercover reporters posing as a rich American and his UK-based son spent a year inside Reform. Two senior aides, James Orr and Dan Jukes, are filmed arranging £32,500 of polling for the party and having it paid for through the reporters’ US company, then talking through a £500,000 gift routed from father to son. Nigel Farage is filmed at lunch with them, saying thank you. No money changed hands. Reform denies wrongdoing. Channel 4’s own account is here.
What follows is every distinct response I could verify from Reform UK and its named figures, from that evening onwards. Each entry is a direct quote, some cut for length but nothing reworded; square brackets mark a cut.
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Reform UK, first party statement Entrapment“Reform UK has been the target of a hoax perpetuated by foreign-funded, climate change activists posing as would-be party donors.”
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Andrew Rosindell, BBC Newsnight Entrapment“Clearly it was a set-up. […] It is a hoax.”
BBC Newsnight, clips published 3 and 4 September
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Lee Anderson, Good Morning Britain Wait for the inquiry“We think it’s just right and proper that we do launch a full internal investigation into what’s happened, into what’s been breaking in the news over the past 12 hours or so.”
“That decision has not been made at this moment. […] No, no, no. You’re quite wrong, Kate. What we’ve done as a party, we’ve agreed to launch our investigation today. That’s as simple as that. […] We can’t start investigating.”
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Lee Anderson, Sky News Rogue aidesDecision made, despite inquiry
“There’s no chance of them coming back. They’ve stepped aside. […] Sometimes in politics, you have to make tough decisions, harsh decisions.”
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Reform UK, party statement Wait for the inquiry
“Both individuals involved have stepped down from their respective positions pending the outcome of the investigation. […] No further comment will be made while the investigation is ongoing.”
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Richard Tice, BBC Radio 4 Today Wait for the inquiryNo money taken“Let’s wait and see what the investigation says. […] The reality is that no money has been received whatsoever. We’ve got a KC’s opinion that makes clear no rules have been broken.”
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Nigel Farage, LBC with Nick Ferrari EntrapmentPoll not commissioned by ReformNigel didn’t knowNigel told it was ok“Whilst the poll benefited Reform, it wasn’t commissioned by Reform. […] Polls are funded by overseas people every single week. Every single week.”
“If you listen to what I said, I said, is this all above board? Is this all legal? I’ve been told it was a global family office based in London. And by the way, I was in the middle of a Clacton by-election. I turned up to see people. I knew nothing about them whatsoever.”
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Lee Anderson, to ITV’s Harry Horton Rogue aidesDecision made, despite inquiry
“Dan Jukes and James Orr, they’ve gone, they’ve left the building, they’ve stepped down from their roles, that’s the right thing to do. […] They won’t be coming back.”
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Nigel Farage, press conference, Birmingham Rogue aidesEntrapmentNigel didn’t knowNigel told it was ok
“What is more problematic is loose pub talk, including a couple of boasts that simply were not true. I’m aware that our people were pushed and pushed and pushed into saying these things. […] Neither of these men was authorised to act in that way.”
“It was the middle of the byelection. I was told I had to go and meet these people. I didn’t have to, but I did. I was told they had a global family trust headquartered in London. I asked the question: is this all above board?”
“Am I annoyed that these people even got to meet me? Yes, I am. It should not have happened.”
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Nigel Farage, conference speech No money takenEntrapmentEstablishment
“The party has done nothing wrong. The party has taken no illegal money. The party has taken no money. […] Entrapped conversations don’t look good, and that’s why we’ve taken the action we have.”
“Ask yourself, why is all of this happening? Because they’re scared of us. That’s why it’s happening.”
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Laila Cunningham, The Standard Wait for the inquiryNot me guv“We have a separate campaign to the national campaign. But we recognise that there is an investigation, so I can’t really comment on it. […] It’s pretty traceable.”
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Dan Jukes, personal statement EntrapmentWait for the inquiry“I totally deny any wrongdoing but have stepped back from politics in order to clear my name.”
“[…] entrapment over a prolonged period of nearly a year by foreign-funded climate change activists.”
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James Orr, video statement No money takenPoll not commissioned by ReformEntrapment“No money reached Reform UK at all. No donation reached Reform UK, whether it was in cash or in kind. […] This guy paid a pollster to run a poll that went to the national newspapers. That’s it.”
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Danny Kruger, Spectator fringe event Wait for the inquiry“There is nothing more to be said until this investigation is concluded.”
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Zia Yusuf, to reporters Not me guv“Anyone who supports Reform is disappointed. […] It’s just not something I am personally involved in.”
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Nadine Dorries, Channel 4 News Rogue aidesPoll not commissioned by ReformEdited footage“They were naive and they have resigned from their posts.”
“We did not commission the poll. We did not have to declare it. […] What you can see on camera is a very heavily edited video.”
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Laila Cunningham, BBC Newsnight with Matt Chorley Not me guv
“I haven’t had time to watch the whole documentary.”
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Robert Jenrick, Times Radio Rogue aidesWait for the inquiryDecision made, despite inquiry“They have been permanently suspended. There is obviously due process, and so there is going to be an investigation, and we want to learn all the facts, give them obviously a right of reply. […] Some of their comments, it’s fair to say, were very disappointing and inappropriate.”
Press Association, via The Standard; The Independent live, syndicated; Times Radio, original clip
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Robert Jenrick, LBC with Matthew Wright Nigel didn’t know
“He didn’t know what was going on. […] He went out for lunch with some people who were offering to donate to the party, and he was polite to them. That’s what you would expect.”
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Nadine Dorries, LBC with Matt Frei Edited footage
“Who knows, it may just be like the BBC video with Trump’s speech […] spliced and edited.”
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Nigel Farage, BBC with Laura Kuenssberg (preview) Nigel didn’t knowRogue aides
“I am not a compliance officer. I was in the middle of canvassing in the Clacton by-election. I turn up. I frankly wasn’t even listening.”
“I know donation law better than anybody. […] They should have done basic checks and nobody, nobody should be brought to me, unless they’ve been vetted.”
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Nigel Farage, closing conference speech Establishment
“More often than not, things will be put upon us that are unfair. But sometimes we will make mistakes, sometimes we will get things wrong and get a bit of a kicking for it.”
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Robert Jenrick, Sky News with Beth Rigby Nigel didn’t know
“It’s not a crime to be polite. […] It’s not the role of the leader to do the checks into the compliance. That’s done by a whole team of people. And we in Reform, like other parties, have got people who do that for us and they do it to a high standard in our party.”
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Laila Cunningham, LBC with Natasha Clark Rogue aidesWait for the inquiryDecision made, despite inquiry
“The people who are responsible for what people saw in the documentary are no longer with the party. Nigel dealt with that very quickly, and there is a full investigation, so I can’t really comment on the documentary.”
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Nigel Farage, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, full broadcast Establishment
“I know what being targeted is. I was debanked a couple of years ago. […] There is no doubt there is huge political prejudice against Reform right across the corporate world and right across the establishment.”
So, deep breath, in summary:
The whole thing was a hoax. By foreign-funded climate change activists. Or the establishment. Which is different, right? Even though it was a hoax, they are holding an inquiry, an investigation to get to the facts. Of the thing they know is a hoax. Oh, and both aides have gone, before the inquiry starts. But no money changed hands, we are told this many times. Despite intent being the legal issue, not gain.
Nigel then pops up to say, in the same sentence, that he was told it was fine but also knew nothing about these people. Which one? Both can’t be true. He had to meet them. He knew nothing whatsoever. Except he was told, in his own words, that it was a UK-headquartered global family trust. Which is a very specific, totally legitimate reason, if true. But it took a while to get that far.
Then a few “not me guv” comments from Zia and Laila, people with careers to think about. Oh, and did you know the poll wasn’t commissioned by Reform? We hear that several times. I think they mean paid for. Clearly it wasn’t paid for by Reform. How are we defining commissioned? James Orr reached out to the guy who paid. That guy clearly didn’t initiate it. Weird. On we go.
Nadine Dorries pops up, which is always fun. Now it is heavily edited footage. Spliced, even. Spliced must mean words were created out of thin air, like those funny YouTube videos of politicians, no? Laila still hasn’t had time to watch it. Then Jenrick appears and we are back to due process. Except the punishment has been dished out already. And Nigel didn’t know. Let me be clear. He was being polite. He wasn’t even listening. Well, he was listening when he was told it was legit, and a London trust, just not at some other unspecified time. But mistakes were made. Just not by him.
So nothing to see here, right?
Portraits of MPs: © UK Parliament, CC BY 3.0.