Police are investigating a political donation made to Robert Jenrick’s campaign to become Conservative leader, The i Paper can reveal.
The Metropolitan Police has been examining claims that a £37,500 donation originated from a foreign donor, following a referral from the Electoral Commission.
The force has now launched an investigation into the allegations. Jenrick has repeatedly denied breaking any electoral laws.
It is illegal to accept political donations from foreign sources under UK electoral law. Scotland Yard did not state which individuals they were investigating.
The allegations relate to Jenrick’s 2024 campaign to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader. He subsequently defected from the party and joined Reform UK, where he is Treasury spokesperson and would be a candidate to become Chancellor if Reform were to be in government.
The police investigation will increase pressure on Nigel Farage’s party, which has faced increased scrutiny over its finances.
While it was previously widely reported that police were reviewing evidence from the elections watchdog, Scotland Yard told The i Paper that it has now opened an investigation, following its assessment.
A Met Police spokesperson confirmed: “We have launched an investigation following a referral from the Electoral Commission on Tuesday 6 January concerning donations connected to a political party’s leadership campaign. The investigation remains ongoing.”
A spokesperson for Jenrick told The i Paper: “These allegations are entirely false, but it is no surprise that an establishment determined to stop Reform from delivering the change that this country so desperately needs would resort to making these demonstrably untrue claims.
“I have had no contact with the Met Police whatsoever in connection with this matter.”
Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage (left) and Reform’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)The allegations relate to a £100,000 donation Jenrick’s leadership campaign received from British entrepreneur Phillip Ullmann, via a company called Spott Fitness, during his 2024 campaign.
However, it has been claimed that £37,500 of this amount originated from a US business associate of Ullmann, Gary Klopfenstein, who has subsequently been convicted of fraud. Ullmann and Klopfenstein are now in a legal dispute.
Detectives will need to navigate conflicting accounts of who knew what and when about the source of the donation. While an investigation has been launched, it may still result in no arrests or charges.
Jenrick has previously issued firm denials that he breached electoral laws. A spokesperson described the allegations as a “politically motivated smear”.
They said: “Mr Ullmann was introduced to Robert by a Tory MP, and had his donations’ permissibility checked by the party.
“Robert and his campaign team complied with all electoral laws when receiving the donation received from Spott Fitness Ltd in 2024. Mr Jenrick has never met, spoken to, or had any contact with Mr Klopfenstein, nor was he aware of any connection between him and Mr Ullmann’s donation until he was contacted by the Electoral Commission. He fully cooperated with the Electoral Commission inquiry, providing detailed records that categorically disproved these smears in 2025.
“The dispute between these two businessmen, which seems to be the cause of these claims, has nothing to do with Robert.”
While the primary responsibility lies with the recipient to check a donation is permissible, the donor must also abide by the law, and must not disguise money from overseas. Scotland Yard has not stated whether its investigation refers to any specific individual.
Both the donor and recipient of an unlawful political donation can face action for breaches of electoral law.
Ullmann claims he repeatedly warned that some of the money was being supplied by Klopfenstein, according to legal correspondence seen by this newspaper.
Jenrick has told The i Paper that these allegations are “lies”.
The Conservative Party’s position is that all leadership candidates were reminded of the law on permissible donations, including from overseas sources.
While a check was carried out on Spott Fitness by the Conservative Party to ensure it was UK-trading and UK-registered, the party claims it was not told that any donations were coming from the US.
Ullman has previously said through his spokesperson that Spott Fitness provided all the information required, and has claimed that Jenrick “did not reject any part of the donation or ask our clients not to assist in collecting money from Mr Klopfenstein”.
The Electoral Commission is believed to have been investigating whether Jenrick’s campaign had failed to return a potentially impermissible donation, and whether the donor had disclosed sufficient information about the source of a donation.
Ullmann claims to have discussed Klopfenstein’s conviction at a meeting with the Tory MP and a political aide at the Conservative Party conference in the autumn of 2024, according to legal correspondence. Jenrick says this is untrue.
In the US, Klopfenstein pleaded guilty to fraud in 2024, after an unrelated FBI investigation into an investment scheme. Klopfenstein admitted using investors’ money to pay his personal expenses and invest in a real estate project, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Farage is facing two parliamentary inquiries after it emerged he accepted an undeclared £5m gift from a British-born, Thailand-based crypto billionaire, and did not declare benefits provided by an ally, George Cottrell, once convicted of fraud in the US.
Farage maintains he has broken no rules in relation to the £5m gift, because he received it before he became an MP, and needs it to pay for his personal security. Parliamentary rules state that new MPs must register “all their current financial interests, and any registrable benefits (other than earnings) received in the 12 months before their election within one month of their election”.
The rules say “purely personal gifts or benefits” from family or commercial loans would not normally have to be registered.
Farage described reports in the Sunday Times of financial support from Cottrell as “wholly inaccurate”.
On Tuesday Farage resigned as an MP following scrutiny over his finances, triggering a by-election, where he will stand as a candidate. He described it as a “people versus the establishment by-election”, adding that the “people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions.”
All mainstream parties are boycotting the by-election, with Labour and the Conservatives criticising it as a “gimmick” to distract from scrutiny and a sign Farage is “cracking under the pressure”.
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice has also faced scrutiny from the National Crime Agency (NCA) over payments made to his own organisations, including his company Tisun Investment and a think tank owned by Tice, Britain Means Business, according to the Guardian. Tice has asked the NCA to investigate whether the body is responsible for leaking his private financial information.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said: “We have been investigating donations connected to a 2024 leadership campaign. Evidence of potential offences outside our remit was referred to the Metropolitan Police Service on 6 January 2026. Our investigation is paused pending their investigation into this matter.
“We don’t discuss the details of our investigations and cannot comment further at this stage.”
Reform UK declined to comment.
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