Reform UK’s bank account was frozen during the last election after it received potentially illegal donations from a convicted criminal’s mother, it emerged yesterday.
Police are investigating payments from Fiona Cottrell – the mother of ‘Posh George’ Cottrell, who secretly bankrolled his close ally Nigel Farage.
Over a two-week period – including the July 4 polling day two years ago – the party was unable to make or receive payments through its account with Arbuthnot Latham.
The private London bank was asked for an explanation by the party, the Sunday Times reported, but claimed it could not do so beyond saying it was performing ‘compliance checks’.
The exchange came after bankers made suspicious activity reports to the National Crime Agency concerning £1million in donations from Ms Cottrell. The ‘retired stylist’ donated £500,000 to Reform, then gave £1million to a firm owned by deputy leader Richard Tice which sent half to the party.
Police opened an investigation into the payments in February last year, with officers concerned about whether she ‘disguised’ the transaction’s source.
It comes after revelations that Mr Cottrell secretly funded Mr Farage’s staff, security and accommodation ahead of the last election. The Reform leader did not disclose the gifts and claims he is under no obligation to as he was not then an MP.
Parliamentary rules demand members register any ‘benefit’ received in the 12 months before their election.
Police are investigating payments from Fiona Cottrell – the mother of ‘Posh George’ Cottrell, who secretly bankrolled his close ally Nigel Farage
Following the revelations, Mr Farage quit as an MP to force a by-election in Clacton next month to ‘let the people decide’. The other main parties have refused to stand candidates.
It also emerged yesterday that Mr Cottrell, who was jailed in the US in 2017 for a money laundering conspiracy, had paid an ally of Donald Trump as he lobbied for a Presidential pardon.
He sent money to Mark Brnovich, who previously served as attorney-general in Arizona, where Mr Cottrell was convicted.
The politician – who accepted thousands of dollars from Mr Cottrell for ‘legal advice’ – was later nominated for an ambassadorship by Mr Trump.
When contacted by the paper, Mr Cottrell did not reveal what the advice was for but said it was not connected to his pardon plea.
Mr Brnovich died in January. But Mr Cottrell is still friends with his wife, Susan, who is a federal judge appointed by Mr Trump. She sits on the court likely to be consulted as part of his case and recently visited his penthouse in Montenegro. It was also reported that Mr Cottrell displays copies of texts between Mr Trump and Mr Brnovich at his flat in the Balkan nation, where he is tax resident.
In the undated messages, Mr Brnovich sent an image of a cap with the slogan ‘Make Montenegro Great Again’.Â
Mr Trump responded: ‘GREAT.’
On the account freeze, Arbuthnot Latham refused to comment.
Reform said: ‘This story follows a number of smear stories of which many are factually untrue.’
Mr Cottrell described Judge Brnovich as his ‘personal friend’ who was visiting on a family holiday and did not stay with him.
He added: ‘I consider the tactics employed by The Sunday Times, in photographing her on a private family holiday, and then contriving to link her social visit to my application for a pardon, a matter over which she, as a sitting judge, has no say, to be… designed to intimidate me and those around me.’
