Reform UK discussion

[SuspectUsual]

I don't know how long the electoral deposit has been £500.

It increased from £150 to £500 in 1985

 

[Stathern Jc]

It increased from £150 to £500 in 1985

Thanks.
I seemed to remember that there had been some noise about the increase when it had gone up to £500, but didn't realise it was a threefold increase and over 40 years ago.
Would be surprised if it stays at £500 after this.

 

[gg1]

Thanks.
I seemed to remember that there had been some noise about the increase when it had gone up to £500, but didn't realise it was a threefold increase and over 40 years ago.
Would be surprised if it stays at £500 after this.

£1,593 at today's prices acording to the BoE inflation calculator, so another threefold increase wouldn't be a bad idea

 

[jfollows]

People used to pay the deposit happily because it was worth it for the free postage to the constituency, and their election flyers presumably were very prominent with the details of their businesses.

 

[317 forever]

Practically abandoning the race for a major prize in Manchester to send the cavalry to Clacton to rescue the leader’s vanity flounce doesn’t feel at all ‘well calculated’.

In which case, it was a bit dim of him to resign and force a by-election before the GM Mayor by-election was done and dusted.

 

[chris53]

Wow, 33 joke candidates and Count Binface.

I wonder how many will get no votes at all.

Well they all had 10 people nominating them

 

[Stathern Jc]

Well they all had 10 people nominating them

Not necessarily voters in the Clacton constituency?

 

[chris53]

Not necessarily voters in the Clacton constituency?

They have to be voters in the Clacton constituency to nominate a candidate, I have nominated candidates myself so I know how it works

 

[MP33]

An organisation I am a member of. Had the rule, that to stand for a regional vacancy. You had to be nominated by a certain number of members in the region. There was an election for a region, that I do not live in. There were two candidates and one, despite being nominated, received zero votes in the election.

 

[m0ffy]

Leicestershire Matters (the county council’s newsletter) has become a party political pamphlet for Reform, prominently featuring (only) Reform Ltd councillors in party colours. The council is under no overall control.

 

[brad465]

The investigation deepens:

Police investigate donations by Richard Tice company to Reform UK

Britain Means Business, owned by the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice, made two donations of £250,000 in the run-up to the 2024 general election.

www.bbc.co.uk

Police are investigating payments to Reform UK by a company controlled by the party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, BBC News has learned.
Britain Means Business gave the party two donations of £250,000 in the run-up to the 2024 general election, when Tice was party chairman.
Tice has said the money was given to his firm by Fiona Cottrell, a significant donor to Reform UK and mother of a convicted fraudster with close links to Nigel Farage.
Tice said: "This is the first I have heard of it - if true why are the Met Police briefing the BBC before contacting interested parties? Is the Met leadership now engaged in the widespread politically motivated smear campaign against Reform and its leaders?"
Earlier this month, the Times newspaper, external revealed that two donations given directly by Fiona Cottrell to Reform UK in May 2024 were being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.
That investigation relates to legislation governing elections, which bans concealing or disguising donations derived from an "impermissible" donor, or the use of "false" information about a donation including the amount or the identity of the donor.
The BBC has asked Fiona Cottrell for comment.

'Stringent vetting'​

Britain Means Business, which is solely owned and controlled by Tice, received £1m from Fiona Cottrell in June 2024.
Disclosures to the Electoral Commission show that the company then donated a total of £500,000 to Reform UK in the same month.
Tice told the BBC earlier this month that it was entirely his choice for the company to give half of the money from Fiona Cottrell to his party.
The payments came to light when the Guardian newspaper, external revealed they had been flagged to the National Crime Agency as part of its Suspicious Activity Reports programme.
Now BBC News has learned that they are part of the Met's investigation into donations to Reform UK.
The BBC understands that the party was not aware of the investigation into the payments from Britain Means Business.
A Reform UK spokesman said: "Reform takes pride in its stringent vetting of donations and always ensures that the Electoral Commission guidelines on donations, as set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, are strictly followed, as has been the case with donations so far."

'Frozen' account​

All four payments were made in the weeks before the general election on 4 July 2024, when Farage and Tice were first elected to Parliament:

• The first direct donation, external from Ms Cottrell of £250,000 appeared in the party's accounts on 9 May

• The second, external, also £250,000, appeared a few weeks later on 29 May, just over a month before polling day

• One payment, external from Britain Means Business of £250,000 was made on 10 June

• Another payment, external from Britain Means Business of £250,000 was made on 12 June.

Tice was chairman of Reform UK until 11 July, having previously been its leader. He then became deputy leader.
Records of all the donations have been published by the Electoral Commission.
Records on the Commission's website show Reform's bank account was frozen in the weeks before the election.
Other notes on the site suggest the account was first frozen a maximum of nine days after Britain Means Business's second donation.
It is not known why the account was frozen.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said it was aware that the Met had issued a statement about an ongoing police investigation and it had no further comment to make.

 

[spyinthesky]

Are these donations to Reform any different to ones made to the other parties or have the other parties become clever on how donations can escape scrutiny.
I personally don’t care where people throw their money away.

 

[simonw]

Are these donations to Reform any different to ones made to the other parties or have the other parties become clever on how donations can escape scrutiny.
I personally don’t care where people throw their money away.

Other parties are transparent in where monies received originate from. If they aren't they will find themselves under investigation.

 

[brad465]

Are these donations to Reform any different to ones made to the other parties or have the other parties become clever on how donations can escape scrutiny.
I personally don’t care where people throw their money away.

Legal or illegal, do you really think any large donor to a political party is "throwing it away"? They are almost certainly doing it to get favourable policies out of who they give the money to.

 

[spyinthesky]

Other parties are transparent in where monies received originate from. If they aren't they will find themselves under investigation.

Clever then

 

[SuspectUsual]

.
I personally don’t care where people throw their money away.

Even if the people at the start of the trail are, for example, Russian?

And do you think these people throw their money away without expecting even the slightest thing in return? If you do, I have a bag of magic beans you may be interested in

 

[spyinthesky]

Legal or illegal, do you really think any large donor to a political party is "throwing it away"? They are almost certainly doing it to get favourable policies out of who they give the money to.

Then half of them lose a 50/50 gamble. To me that is throwing it away

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jul 2026 ==

Even if the people at the start of the trail are, for example, Russian?

And do you think these people throw their money away without expecting even the slightest thing in return? If you do, I have a bag of magic beans you may be interested in

I have enough magic beans for all, only I like to keep hold of them

 

[brad465]

Then half of them lose a 50/50 gamble. To me that is throwing it away

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jul 2026 ==


I have enough magic beans for all, only I like to keep hold of them

Thank you for providing your opinions on this issue. I've learnt a lot from them.

 

[Chuffing Heck]

Other parties are transparent in where monies received originate from. If they aren't they will find themselves under investigation.

Bit naive thinking that the establishment are pure as snow they are just more experienced in covering their tracks they are no different to Reform.

 

[simonw]

Bit naive thinking that the establishment are pure as snow they are just more experienced in covering their tracks they are no different to Reform.

If you say so. Btw reform are stuffed full of 'establishment ' but naive to think otherwise.

 

[High Dyke]

Bit naive thinking that the establishment are pure as snow they are just more experienced in covering their tracks they are no different to Reform.

If you say so. Btw reform are stuffed full of 'establishment ' but naive to think otherwise.

See post #2,981

 

[Yew]

Bit naive thinking that the establishment are pure as snow they are just more experienced in covering their tracks they are no different to Reform.

Whattaboutery.

 

[TheSmiths82]

Bit naive thinking that the establishment are pure as snow they are just more experienced in covering their tracks they are no different to Reform.

I am sure Reform are very good at covering their tracks, it is just the other main parties are a bit more careful about the source of the money. It was the banks that originally flacked one of the transactions as suspicious.

 

[Class 317]

This letter has been going out to residents in Clacton area.

Sorry can't do a quote as it's a photo.

 

[Welly]

Farage's signature looks like an obscene hand gesture!

 

[SuspectUsual]

Ah, the victim card. There’s a surprise

 

[JGurney]

Bit naive thinking that the establishment are pure as snow ...... they are no different to Reform.

What is the point of supporting Reform UK if they are no different from any of the other parties?

 

[jupiter]

Ah yes, “media lies”, where have we heard this before? Worked well there.

 

[edwin_m]

What is the point of supporting Reform UK if they are no different from any of the other parties?

Ostensibly because the other main parties have messed things up and Reform is an outsider with no such track record. The fact they have taken on many of the Tories most responsible for their failure has nothing to do with it...

 

[Strathclyder]

Ah, the victim card. There’s a surprise

Pulling the victim card is his only genuine skill barring being a pot-stirring grifter.