Prominent Brexit campaigner and Reform UK member Arron Banks has allegedly hired private investigators to target a Sunday Times journalist who has been investigating the political party's finances. Banks is said to have instructed Precision Risk and Intelligence, a firm he previously owned, to examine Gabriel Pogrund, the editor of the newspaper's Insight investigations team.
The allegations first emerged in a report by the New Statesman. When questioned about the claims, Banks did not deny them. "We believe the Sunday Times used hacked information and that was an area of interest," Banks stated, adding, "We do have an investigative arm that’s got advanced capabilities." When asked directly if he had paid investigators to look into Pogrund, he remarked, "When you live by the sword, you die by the sword."
The Sunday Times has strongly denied any accusation that its reporting relied on illegally obtained information, describing the decision to place a reporter under surveillance as "reprehensible." A spokesperson for the newspaper stated: "If what Mr Banks claims to have done is true then it is reprehensible that his reaction to our reporting is to place a journalist under surveillance… This story was not based on hacked information. It was based on responsible and professional journalism."
The surveillance is believed to have been initiated after Pogrund authored a Sunday Times report revealing that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage received financial backing from George Cottrell, a convicted criminal widely known as "Posh George." Both the Sunday Times and other media outlets have recently published multiple reports detailing the substantial sums of money flowing into Reform UK and directly to Farage from wealthy donors.
Farage, who was elected as the MP for Clacton, has faced intense scrutiny over the gifts he received in the 12 months leading up to his election. While Members of Parliament are required to declare political donations received in the year before their election, Farage has argued he was not required to declare earlier donations because he was acting as a media personality and did not decide to run for office until July 2024, a month before the general election.
Among the scrutinized financial transactions is a £5 million gift to Farage from billionaire Reform UK donor Christopher Harborne, which was reported in April. Additionally, Fiona Cottrell, the retired stylist and mother of George Cottrell, made significant contributions shortly before the election. She transferred £250,000 directly to Reform UK twice in May 2024. She also donated £1 million to Britain Means Business, a company owned by Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice, which subsequently made two donations of £250,000 to the party.
These transactions later became the subject of a suspicious activity report submitted to the National Crime Agency, a process used to flag potential money laundering rather than to file formal criminal charges. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police are actively investigating Reform UK's finances. Both George and Fiona Cottrell have been interviewed under caution as part of this inquiry, though no arrests have been made.
On Saturday, Banks was asked if Reform UK was aware of or had authorized the surveillance on Pogrund, or if other journalists had been targeted. He declined to elaborate, saying, "I have nothing else to add. Other than to say I have spoken to no one at Reform on this matter, nor would I." Reform UK was also contacted for comment regarding the situation.
