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Dear John,
Nigel Farage wants you to believe his party is a people-powered movement, riding a wave of public discontent. But behind the slogans, the truth is far more troubling - and it reveals exactly who he really serves.
This year alone, Reform UK has been forced to return almost £200,000 in impermissible donations. These weren’t simply small errors in the paperwork. Many of these attempted donations came from overseas individuals, inactive shell companies, and figures with direct financial interests. Each one shows just how far Farage is willing to push the boundaries to pull in cash.
Take the examples that have already surfaced. One impermissible donation was £100,000 from Bellcave Limited, a holding company linked to Greybull Capital - the private equity firm notorious for asset-stripping British businesses like Comet and British Steel. Greybull made millions while workers and communities paid the price. The money was rightly returned, but the fact Farage’s party even tried to bank it shows exactly whose side they’re on.
Another was a £30,000 cheque from an Italian finance executive connected to Viaro Energy, a London-registered oil and gas group with major North Sea interests. Energy bosses with a direct stake in government policy on fossil fuels don’t hand over tens of thousands of pounds for nothing - they expect influence in return.
These aren’t ordinary voters putting a tenner in the bucket. They’re wealthy corporations and executives with clear vested interests in shaping politics to suit themselves.
And it doesn’t stop there. Farage also has powerful, well-funded allies across the Atlantic. He has been associated with the Alliance Defending Freedom, the US group central to overturning abortion rights in America. Just like Donald Trump, he is importing a culture-war agenda that most people in Britain reject. He isn’t chasing popularity. He’s chasing chequebooks. And under this broken system, money - not policies - can win elections.
Watchdogs have already warned of the risks of foreign influence creeping into UK politics. Yet Nigel Farage insists his party is following the rules, even as it repeatedly has to hand money back. If you keep accepting cheques you shouldn’t, you’re not upholding democracy. You’re undermining it.
Behind all the hype, Reform UK is not being fuelled by ordinary people giving small donations. Instead, they’re scrambling for huge cheques from a tiny number of millionaires, corporate executives, and vested interests.
Why does this matter? Because money buys influence. Donations buy access, airtime, and the ability to shape the political agenda.
The vast majority of people don’t want dark money in our politics, yet that’s exactly what powers Nigel Farage’s party. And if he succeeds in normalising it, it sends a clear message: our democracy is up for sale to the highest bidder.
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The UK - one of the oldest continuous democracies in the world - ranks just 44th in the world for electoral oversight, after years of government interference weakened the independence of the Electoral Commission. Meanwhile, MI5 has warned that MPs and political staff are being targeted by hostile states such as Russia and China, through covert influence and approaches.
And now, at the very moment when public trust is at rock bottom, Nigel Farage and his party is exploiting loopholes and pushing the limits of the law, all while feeding off the very disillusionment with the system they themselves are undermining. That’s why we cannot let this stand unchallenged.
Our movement is different. We’re powered by people, not millionaire chequebooks. Thousands of ordinary supporters give what they can, and together it adds up to real strength.
Their politics runs on a handful of giant cheques. Ours runs on fairness and accountability. That’s why your donation matters. When enough of us stand together, we prove democracy isn’t for sale to the highest bidder, it’s built by the people who care enough to defend it and want to repair it.
Will you chip in today and help us show that our democracy belongs to all of us, not just the wealthy few? Our average donation is £17.37. That’s what fuels this movement. Not the six-and-seven-figure cheques Nigel Farage courts from millionaires, but thousands of small donations from ordinary people standing up for democracy.
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Thank you for standing with us. Every donation - whether it’s £5, £17.37, or more - is a statement that our democracy belongs to the people, not the corporate elite.
Best,
Conor
Conor McKenzie
Digital Engagement Manager, Open Britain
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