George Cottrell reportedly transferred more than $2 million to his mother just days before she then donated money to Reform UK.
A report in the Guardian claims that Cottrell’s mother, Fiona Cottrell, was sent sums of cash, some of which was then handed to Reform.
According to the publication, Ms Cottrell received one deposit of $1.4 million from her son, followed by two tranches each totalling more than $300,000.
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When asked about the sums of money by bankers, she said they came from her son.
Around 24-72 hours after receiving the money, Cottrell then made a donation to either to Reform UK directly or to the the company Britain Means Business, the Guardian reports.
Reform UK is already under investigation from the Met over donations to the party from Britain Means Business, a fundraising vehicle whose director is the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice.
The Times revealed earlier this month that Ms Cottrell gave Britain Means Business £1m in June 2024. The firm then donated a total of £500,000 to Reform in the same month, disclosures to the Electoral Commission show.
George Cottrell, who was convicted of wire-fraud in the US in 2017, has previously been a campaigner and fundraiser for Nigel Farage in the year before he was elected as Clacton MP.
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 all donations.”
Tice has previously defended his links with the Cottrell family and said that Ms Cottrell is a “permissible donor as far as I’m concerned and that’s the end of it.”
Over the weekend, a Met spokesperson said: “An investigation was launched in February 2025 after a referral was made to the Metropolitan Police by the Electoral Commission relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK general election.
“Detectives from the Met’s Special Enquiry Team are investigating alleged offences under Section 61 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
“Early investigative advice has been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service and two people have so far been interviewed under caution. No arrests have been made.
“An offence under this section is not one that the Electoral Commission can investigate and, as such, it is a matter for the police.”