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报道持续报道 · 第 2 篇,共 2 篇

“显然不会”:让改革党陷入三线作战的卧底行动

隐藏摄像机拍下两名助手密谋为民调秘密获取美国资金。法拉奇称那只是酒吧闲谈——但警方和标准事务负责人已在追查此前数百万英镑资金问题,该党同时面临三项仍在进行的调查。

文字 阅读需 8 分钟 · 39 个来源

原语言视频

译自英文原文。

自上次报道以来的变化

2 天后

当时

午餐、民调与50万英镑计划:让法拉奇失去核心圈子的暗访

当时尚无定论

  • 目前尚未认定该党接受过任何不合规捐款,也未认定法拉奇知晓相关计划。

我们说过将关注的

  • 伦敦警察厅是否会将评估转为正式调查,并将范围扩大到这两名助手之外。

现在

隐藏摄像机拍下两名助手密谋为民调秘密获取美国资金。法拉奇称那只是酒吧闲谈——但警方和标准事务负责人已在追查此前数百万英镑资金问题,该党同时面临三项仍在进行的调查。

现已确认

  • 卧底团队拍下 Orr 和 Jukes 讨论一笔秘密美国款项,用于支付32,500英镑的民调费用。
  • 伦敦警察厅对2024年5月 Cottrell 赠款的刑事调查仍在进行,尚未起诉任何人。
  • 截至9月8日,针对 Harborne 500万英镑赠款的标准调查尚未公布结论。

“会有人发现吗?我会告诉任何人吗?显然不会。”⁠2⁠3 这句话是在一家酒吧的卡座阴影中,对着几名男子说出的。说话者认为这些人愿意提供美国资金,支付英国改革党的账单——如今,这成了英国政坛被重播最多的一句话。⁠5⁠6

这句话出现在 Verbatim Investigations 为第四频道新闻开展的一项历时一年的卧底行动结束时。该节目于2026年9月3日播出,记者假扮成一名富有的美国金融家及其居住在英国的儿子“William Lockwood”,后者被塑造成一名符合规定的英国捐赠者。⁠2⁠3 两人卧底渗透改革党数月,安排谈话,探讨如何悄悄用外国资金支付该党的工作开支。⁠5⁠34

会有人发现吗?我会告诉任何人吗?显然不会。

James Orr 23

影片聚焦于两名男子:Nigel Farage 的长期助手 Dan Jukes,以及该党政策主管 James Orr。⁠4⁠5 影片显示 Orr 谈及一项安排:一家美国公司将秘密为改革党委托的三项民调买单,费用总计32,500英镑,涵盖2026年1月至7月。⁠2⁠10 其中一些民调结果后来登上全国性报纸,但报纸没有说明改革党或外国资助方的身份。⁠2⁠10 录音中,Orr 说这笔款项可以作为实物捐赠处理。⁠10⁠9

在威斯敏斯特一家酒吧外,Jukes 与卧底行动中的“儿子”会面时,说得更进一步。⁠5⁠34 他建议通过居住在英国的儿子转移资金,这样美国父亲就能“撇清关系”,并补充说:“这就是我们操作的方式之一。”⁠5⁠10 两人讨论了一笔拟议中的50万英镑外国捐款;第四频道表示,这笔钱从未支付。⁠7⁠10

£32,5002026年1月至7月的三项民调费用 210
£500,000正在接受刑事调查的2024年5月赠款 2225
£5M正在接受标准调查的 Harborne 赠款 1620

法拉奇本人也出现在影片中。⁠3⁠33 在克拉克顿与 Jukes 和两名卧底记者共进午餐时,他向他们致谢,称一项民调“令人惊叹”“钱花得值”,并宣称:“奏效了。太棒了。”⁠3⁠33 被问及这项安排是否合规时,他回答:“完全合规。”⁠33⁠32

调查节目播出时,改革党年度大会正召开,事件随即引爆舆论。⁠4⁠7 法拉奇称该党没有收取非法资金,也没有收到任何捐款;他将相关言论斥为“酒吧里的随口闲谈”和“不实”的擅自吹嘘,并表示自己“当时没在听”、不是合规事务负责人,还以为资金来自一家合法的伦敦家族办公室,可能“来自新加坡”。⁠7⁠32⁠35 Jukes 和 Orr 均已辞职,并在内部调查期间被停职。⁠4⁠36 Jukes 否认有不当行为,称这场历时一年的行动是“诱捕”;Orr 表示愿意配合调查。⁠4⁠36 主席 Lee Anderson 和 Robert Jenrick 表示,两人已经离开,不会回来。⁠36⁠7

三项调查交汇

  1. 2024年5月9日

    Fiona Cottrell 首次向改革党捐赠25万英镑。

    2229
  2. 2024年5月29日

    第二笔25万英镑赠款在大选前数周到账。

    2229
  3. 2025年2月

    伦敦警察厅在选举委员会移交调查后启动刑事调查。

    2431
  4. 2026年5月13日

    标准事务负责人就500万英镑赠款启动《规则5》调查。

    1615
  5. 2026年9月3日

    卧底拍摄画面播出;两名助手被停职。

    234
  6. 2026年9月5日

    伦敦警察厅表示正在评估卧底行动相关指控,尚未启动全面调查。

    810

工党和自由民主党就卧底行动一事将改革党移交伦敦警察厅和选举委员会处理。⁠8⁠37 伦敦警察厅表示,已知悉并正在评估有关捐款和民调的指控;截至9月5日,尚未启动全面调查。⁠8⁠10 选举委员会表示正在考虑相关信息,并与伦敦警察厅保持联系,同时指出,试图规避捐款规定属于警方的管辖范围。⁠10⁠9

这项移交调查只是最新的一条战线。⁠22⁠31 伦敦警察厅已经就 F​​iona Cottrell 提供的50万英镑赠款展开刑事调查。她是已被定罪的诈骗犯、法拉奇的盟友 George Cottrell 的母亲;这笔款项分两次直接捐给改革党,每次25万英镑,分别于2024年5月9日和5月29日支付,距2024年7月大选仅数周。⁠22⁠25⁠27 调查人员正在查明这笔款项是否涉及非法转手捐款,或依据《政党、选举和公投法》第61条,是否有人隐瞒不符合资格的捐赠者或提供有关资金来源的虚假信息。⁠29⁠31

警方总计正在调查与 Cottrell 有关的175万英镑政党赠款。⁠30⁠28 两人已在告知可能被起诉的情况下接受问询,据信是 George 和 Fiona Cottrell;目前没有人被捕,也没有人被起诉。⁠30⁠22 调查于2025年2月在选举委员会移交后启动,至9月初仍在进行。⁠24⁠31 调查人员还审查了 George 是否在赠款支付前向母亲转账超过200万美元,其中包括一笔140万美元的存款;不过,他的律师坚称他是符合资格的捐赠者,而其母亲的赠款是她自行决定的。⁠24⁠28 2024年6月,Cottrell 另向 Richard Tice 的组织 Britain Means Business 支付了100万英镑,其中约50万英镑随后转给了改革党。⁠24⁠28

第三条线索与法拉奇本人有关:2024年初,他收到英国加密货币投资者 Christopher Harborne 赠予的500万英镑;不久后,法拉奇宣布将参加2024年大选。⁠16⁠21 议会标准专员 Daniel Greenberg 于2026年5月13日启动一项《规则5》调查,涉及涉嫌未申报利益。⁠16⁠15 法拉奇7月辞去克拉克顿议员职务后,调查暂停;他在补选中重新赢得该席位后,调查恢复。⁠17⁠12

已知

  • 卧底团队拍下 Orr 和 Jukes 讨论一笔秘密美国款项,用于支付32,500英镑的民调费用。 25
  • 伦敦警察厅对2024年5月 Cottrell 赠款的刑事调查仍在进行,尚未起诉任何人。 2224
  • 截至9月8日,针对 Harborne 500万英镑赠款的标准调查尚未公布结论。 1612

未知

  • 没有证据表明讨论中的50万英镑外国捐款曾被支付或收取。
  • 没有经证实的说法说明改革党内部谁知道什么,也不清楚这项民调是否应当申报。

后续

  • 伦敦警察厅是否会将对卧底行动相关指控的评估升级为全面调查。
  • Greenberg 是否会约谈法拉奇,并认定这500万英镑必须申报,从而使法拉奇面临停职和罢免程序。

截至8月的报道指出,Greenberg 很可能会在数周内约谈法拉奇,并可能在议会9月复会后得出结论。⁠12⁠18 法拉奇质疑调查的公正性,称其“被操纵”,并被警告可能面临更严厉的处罚;他坚称这500万英镑是无条件的个人赠与,目的是用于他终身的私人安保,他可以随意支配——用他的话说,“我想的话,可以拿去买车”——并称相关细节“不是公众该过问的事”。⁠13⁠20⁠19 截至9月8日,尚未公布调查结论。⁠15⁠12

三项调查中,标准调查对法拉奇构成的眼前威胁最为严峻。⁠18⁠15 如果调查认定存在严重问题,并处以长期停职,可能会在克拉克顿——他本人的选区——启动罢免程序。⁠18⁠17 Cottrell 刑事调查和卧底行动引发的移交调查均未有定论,目前没有宣布逮捕或起诉任何人。⁠22⁠10 法拉奇坚称该党没有违法——但在“显然不会”这句话之后,责任已不再仅仅是法律层面的。⁠7⁠32 问题在于,选民是否相信,一开始根本就没有什么需要隐瞒。

时间线

第 4 天 · 2 篇报道

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  2. 我们的播报 · 第 2 次更新当前位置

    “显然不会”:让改革党陷入三线作战的卧底行动

来源24

在此处引用的来源中,Channel 4 News最先发布,比本报道播出早34小时。
  1. Channel 4 News
  2. HeyDay News

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持续报道 · 第 2 篇,共 2 篇

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来自 24 家媒体的 39 个来源· 引用最多的优先

播出原貌
  1. Undercover cameras caught a Reform UK official asking if anybody would find out about the foreign money.
  2. That footage has now put Reform UK and Nigel Farage under three separate live inquiries — a standards commissioner, the Metropolitan Police, and the election regulator — and one of them carries the risk of Farage losing his own seat. The question is which inquiry lands first, and whether any of them produces charges or a finding that ends his time in Parliament.
  3. The footage was filmed by undercover reporters who spent a year posing as a wealthy American financier and his British-born son — a son they presented as a permissible United Kingdom donor. Tonight, that sting has detonated across Reform's annual conference, and the fallout is now touching two investigations that were already running before it aired.
  4. Those words are the heart of the allegation — that the polls were to be paid for with money the party could not lawfully take.
  5. The polls were billed at thirty-two thousand, five hundred pounds between January and July this year. Some of their results later appeared in national newspapers — without the party or the foreign funder being identified.
  6. The alleged route runs through the permissible son to hide the impermissible father. Orr said a payment could be treated as a donation in kind. Farage's longtime aide Dan Jukes went further, suggesting the money be routed through the UK-resident son so the American father would have what he called deniability — adding that that was one of the ways in which they did it.
  7. At a lunch in Clacton, Farage was filmed praising one of the polls as amazing and bang for buck, and declaring "It worked. Boom." Asked whether the arrangement was above board, he replied that it was all above board.
  8. Since the footage aired, Farage has insisted the party took no illegal money and no donation reached it. He called the remarks loose pub talk and unauthorized boasts that simply weren't true — he wasn't listening, he says, and he is not a compliance officer. He assumed the money came from a legitimate London-based family office, possibly from Singapore. Both men stepped down and were suspended; the party chairman says they are gone and not returning.
  9. Labour and the Liberal Democrats have referred the party to the Metropolitan Police and the Electoral Commission. The Met says it is aware of and assessing the allegations and, as of the fifth of September, had not opened a full investigation. The Electoral Commission says it is considering the information and is in touch with the Met — noting that attempts to evade donation rules are a matter for the police.
  10. The sting is only one strand. The Metropolitan Police is already running a criminal investigation into five hundred thousand pounds of gifts to Reform from Fiona Cottrell — the mother of convicted fraudster George Cottrell, a Farage ally. The two direct gifts, of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds each, were made in May 2024, weeks before the general election, and are being examined for illegal funneling — for allegedly concealing an impermissible donor or false information about the source of funds.
  11. In total, police are looking at one point seven five million pounds in party gifts from Cottrell. Two people have been interviewed under caution — understood to be George and Fiona Cottrell. No arrests, no charges. Investigators have also examined whether George transferred more than two million dollars to his mother before the gifts, including a one point four million dollar deposit, though his lawyers maintain he is a permissible donor and that his mother's gifts were her own decision. A separate one million pound payment to a vehicle run by Richard Tice in June 2024 passed about half of it onward to Reform.
  12. Lay the dates side by side and the picture is of three inquiries converging on one party. The Cottrell criminal case opened in February 2025 after an Electoral Commission referral. The standards inquiry into Farage's five million pounds opened in May, paused when he resigned his seat in July, and reactivated after he won it back in the by-election — by which time the undercover footage had hit the airwaves.
  13. That five million pounds came from Christopher Harborne, a British cryptocurrency investor, in early 2024 — shortly before Farage announced he would stand in the general election. He did not register it. He insists it was an unconditional personal gift intended for lifetime private security — in his words, he can spend it on cars if he wants to, and it is not the public's business.
  14. The Commissioner is likely to interview Farage within weeks, with a possible conclusion after Parliament returns in September. Farage has called the inquiry rigged, and was warned he could face a stiffer penalty for saying so. As of today, none of the three strands has produced a finding, a charge, or an arrest — but the standards inquiry is the one most likely to carry direct political consequence. A serious finding combined with a long suspension could trigger recall proceedings in Clacton, Farage's own seat. Farage maintains the party broke no laws.

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