The Metropolitan Police said on Thursday it has launched an inquiry into allegations that Reform UK may have contravened political donation rules, a probe that media reports say followed an undercover sting operation.
Police gave no further operational detail in an initial statement, saying only that they were assessing the allegations. It was not immediately clear what specific rules were said to have been breached, nor whether any arrests had been made.
Political figures reacted swiftly as the story emerged. Alex Burghart, the deputy Conservative leader in the House of Commons, used broadcast interviews to shift criticism onto the government, accusing Labour of hypocrisy over its public stance on Israel. Speaking to GB News, he contrasted Labour’s rhetoric in the Commons with a party communique he said described a recent conversation between Labour mayoral candidate Andy Burnham and the Chinese president as constructive and positive.
Burghart said the communique underlined Labour’s desire to foster a good relationship with China, and suggested that stance sat uneasily with the party’s comments about Israel. His remarks were presented as criticism of Labour’s consistency rather than as new evidence connected to the police inquiry.
The Met’s investigation and the political exchanges underline how allegations around party funding can quickly become entangled with broader partisan disputes. The inquiry is ongoing, and the Met said it would provide updates if further developments warranted public comment.