George Cottrell sent $2m to mother before Reform UK donations

George Cottrell, who has a fraud conviction, sent over $2m to his mother Fiona Cottrell in 2024. Financial industry sources informed The Guardian that Fiona told bankers the money came from her son. These deposits were received between 24 and 72 hours before she made donations to Reform UK or its fundraising group, Britain Means Business.

Donations to Reform UK

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Fiona Cottrell donated a total of £1.5m to Reform UK and Britain Means Business during 2024. This included two payments of £250,000 to Reform UK in May 2024, which were publicly declared. The Guardian reported that these donations were preceded by transfers of $318,878 and $328,815 from her son.

Additionally, Fiona Cottrell gave more than £1m to Britain Means Business in June 2024. This sum was transferred via an Australian money exchange service. The Guardian reported that $1,400,000 was deposited into Fiona Cottrell’s account by her son shortly before she transferred £1,075,000 to Britain Means Business on 10 June 2024.

Police Investigation

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The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating the funding of Reform UK. A key part of this inquiry involves scrutinising whether donations were made to disguise their original source. The investigation was launched in February 2025 following a referral from the Electoral Commission regarding donations made before the 2024 UK general election.

Detectives are examining alleged offences under section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The Crown Prosecution Service has provided early investigative advice. Two individuals have been interviewed under caution as part of the inquiry, but no arrests have been made, the Metropolitan Police stated.

Further Scrutiny

The disclosures add to questions surrounding Reform UK and its leader, Nigel Farage. Mr Farage is facing separate investigations by the parliamentary standards commissioner concerning undeclared gifts and benefits in kind from George Cottrell. He is also being investigated over whether he should have declared a £5m gift from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne.

George Cottrell, described by Reform insiders as Farage’s chief of staff though the party states he is a volunteer, lives in Montenegro. His lawyers have stated he is a permissible donor, but have not detailed how he meets the criteria or when he first met them. Lawyers for George Cottrell declined to comment when approached by The Guardian.

Fiona Cottrell has not responded to attempts by The Guardian to contact her. The Guardian reported that some of these financial transactions prompted bankers to raise potential money-laundering concerns with the UK’s National Crime Agency via suspicious activity reports.