New Facts: Banks report Reform transactions to NCA

Banks filed at least four suspicious activity reports to the National Crime Agency about transactions involving senior Reform UK figures. One concerns a £1m donation sent to the party’s fundraising company Britain Means Business before the 2024 election, where the original source of the money has not been identified and the agency has asked a foreign counterpart for help tracing it.

The £1m was sent from an account in the name of donor Fiona Cottrell to Britain Means Business, which Richard Tice directs and holds the account for. Tice then transferred £500,000 to Reform UK on 10 June 2024 and another £500,000 on 12 June. Because the money went via Britain Means Business, only that company’s name appeared in the party’s declarations at the time.

Two other reports focus on an £80,000 bridging loan from George Cottrell to Tice’s property company in December 2024, repaid in February 2025. A fourth relates to the £5m personal gift to Nigel Farage from businessman Christopher Harborne in 2024. These reports are alerts used to flag suspected money laundering for review and are not proof of a crime.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources