Police investigating a donation to Robert Jenrick’s Tory leadership race are to examine claims that the campaign was repeatedly warned over the source of the funds, The i Paper can reveal.
Detectives have been handed allegations that five separate warnings were made that a £37,500 donation originated from a foreign donor. Jenrick has repeatedly denied breaking any electoral laws.
The claims are at the centre of a police investigation into a donation made to Jenrick’s 2024 Tory leadership campaign.
It is illegal to accept political donations from foreign sources under UK electoral law. Scotland Yard did not state which individuals are under investigation.
The Metropolitan Police has been examining claims following a referral from the Electoral Commission.
Jenrick has vehemently denied the claims, telling 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.”
After failing in his bid to replace Sunak, Jenrick subsequently defected from the party and joined Reform UK, where he is Treasury spokesperson and would be a candidate to become chancellor if Reform was to be in power.
The police investigation will increase pressure on Nigel Farage’s party, which has faced increased scrutiny over its finances.
The allegations relate to a £100,000 donation to Jenrick’s leadership campaign, received from the British entrepreneur Phillip Ullmann, via a company called Spott Fitness.
It has been alleged that £37,500 of this amount originated from a US business associate of Ullmann, Gary Klopfenstein, who has subsequently been convicted of fraud in an unrelated case in America. 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.
The i Paper can reveal that that police are set to examine claims that five separate warnings were made to Jenrick’s campaign that the donation originated from abroad.
The allegations are set out in legal correspondence, and have been strongly and consistently denied by Jenrick.
Ullmann has so far attempted to portray himself as a political novice who was always open about the source of the money. 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.
In the first instance, Ullmann claims that he met Jenrick’s campaign in April 2024, when the entrepreneur says he offered a personal donation and also mentioned that he knew of an American businessman – Klopfenstein – who might also want to contribute.
The entrepreneur claims that the second instance occurred during a phone call with Jenrick’s campaign on 28 June that year. Ullmann insists he said he would personally give £25,000 to his campaign, and approach Klopfenstein to see if he was interested in donating too, according to the legal correspondence.
The third came, Ullmann claims, the following week, in a WhatsApp message that “explicitly restated” Klopfenstein’s involvement – though the correspondence alleges this specific message cannot be retrieved, because of the disappearing messages feature on WhatsApp.
Ullmann claims that the fourth approach came at a face-to-face meeting on 12 July 2024, days after Labour’s general election victory, according to the legal papers. He alleges he said that Klopfenstein “was contributing” to the campaign.
The fifth and final occasion, Ullmann claims, was at the Conservative Party conference in the autumn of 2024 when he alleges he discussed Klopfenstein’s conviction at a meeting with Jenrick and a political aide, according to legal correspondence. Jenrick says this is untrue, also.
Robert Jenrick at the the launch of his bid to become Conservative Party Leader in August 2024 (Photo by Darren Staples/Getty Images)Jenrick has previously said he learned of any Klopfenstein connection only when the Electoral Commission contacted him. He strongly disputes Ullmann’s account of what was said in the room and in earlier alleged conversations and exchanges.
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 co-operated 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.”
Jenrick told LBC last week that the Conservative Party had introduced him to the donor and checked he was “legit”, adding: “There’s now been a suggestion that maybe part of his donation was from an overseas company. That’s being looked into.”
The Conservative Party’s position is that all leadership candidates were reminded of the law on permissible donations, including from overseas sources.
Reform leader Nigel Farage has been under pressure over his financial affairs of lateThe FT reported last month that Ullmann met one of Jenrick’s current aides, as part of a group to discuss the future of the Tory party, before the alleged donations were made. In response, Jenrick’s lawyers have emphasised that the politician and his team complied with all electoral laws on their handling of the donation.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission told this newspaper: “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.”
Ullmann has previously said through his spokesperson that Spott Fitness provided all of 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”.
A spokesperson for Ullmann told The i Paper: “Mr Ullmann voluntarily disclosed additional information to the Electoral Commission when it became apparent via a US-based third party that Robert Jenrick’s team had not presented the full picture at the time of these donations being made. He has continued to engage proactively with their subsequent investigation ever since. He has fully responded to all the questions they have asked of him to date and stands ready to support the authorities in any way he can.”
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