Police are investigating a donation given to Robert Jenrick’s Conservative leadership campaign in 2024, BBC News understands.
The Electoral Commission had reportedly been looking at claims £37,500 donated to Jenrick’s campaign originated overseas. That information was passed from the commission to the Metropolitan Police in January this year.
The force confirmed it had now launched a formal investigation “concerning donations connected to a political party’s leadership campaign”, as first reported by the i paper, external.
Foreign donations to UK politicians are banned under electoral law. Jenrick said the “allegations are entirely false”.
“I have had no contact with the Met Police whatsoever in connection with this matter,” he added.
The Metropolitan Police has not said who might be caught up in the investigation’s inquiries.
Jenrick is now a Reform MP, having defected from the Conservatives to Nigel Farage’s party earlier this year.
He ran to replace Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader in summer 2024, when he came second to Kemi Badenoch.
As first reported by the Guardian in April, the Electoral Commission began examining allegations related to £100,000 in donations from the company Spott Fitness, given to Jenrick’s campaign.
In September 2024 the British businessman Phillip Ullmann revealed that he was the man behind those donations.
However the Electoral Commission has been examining claims that £37,500 of that money actually came from the US company Innovyz.
Innovyz was founded by Gary Klopfenstein, a US businessman who in 2024 pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud.
A spokesman for Jenrick said: “The suggestion that Robert knowingly accepted impermissible donations is an untrue, politically motivated smear, put about years later by the Conservatives, despite the fact that Mr Ullman was introduced to Robert by a Tory MP, and had his donations’ permissibility checked by the party.
“Robert and his campaign team complied with all electoral laws when receiving the donation received from Spott Fitness Ltd in 2024.
“Mr Jenrick has never met, spoken to, or had any contact with Mr Klopfenstein, nor was he aware of any connection between him and Mr Ullman’s donation until he was contacted by the Electoral Commission.
“He fully cooperated with the Electoral Commission inquiry, providing detailed records that categorically disproved these smears in 2025.”
The Conservative Party says that all candidates in the 2024 leadership race were reminded of the law surrounding what counts as a permissible donation.
A spokesperson for Ullmann declined to comment.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “We have launched an investigation following a referral from the Electoral Commission on Tuesday, 6 January concerning donations connected to a political party’s leadership campaign. The investigation remains ongoing.”
