George Cottrell, identified as a crypto gambler known as 'Posh George,' is alleged to have transferred more than $2 million (£1.5 million) to his mother, Fiona Cottrell, in the days leading up to her donations to the Reform UK party. The reports, citing finance industry sources, raise further questions about the party's funding, which is currently under scrutiny.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating potential attempts to disguise the origins of donations made to Reform UK prior to the last general election. Cottrell, who has a past fraud conviction in the U.S. and now resides in Montenegro, has no official role within Reform UK but is known to be close to party leader Nigel Farage. Cottrell's lawyers maintain he is a permissible donor in the UK despite living abroad.
According to reports, Fiona Cottrell made two donations of £250,000 each to Reform UK in May 2024. These contributions allegedly followed days after her son transferred sums of $318,878 and $328,815 to her. The source of these transfers is reported to have been U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges.
In addition to the donations to Reform UK, Fiona Cottrell reportedly gave over £1 million to Britain Means Business, a company led by Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice, in June 2024. Subsequently, Mr. Tice donated half of this sum to Reform UK without indicating its original source. It is now reported that George Cottrell had transferred approximately $1.4 million to his mother shortly before this transaction.
When questioned by banking authorities about the source of the funds, Ms. Cottrell is reported to have stated that the money came from her son. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage is currently under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner for failing to declare a £5 million gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Reform UK did not respond to requests for comment.