A polling firm at the centre of allegations that Reform UK breached electoral law is being investigated by two industry bodies: the British Polling Council and the Market Research Society. JL Partners, which is run by former Conservative aides, has been accused of breaking transparency rules by failing to declare that three separate polls had been commissioned by Reform UK.
The company is a member of both organizations, which state that the identity of a client commissioning a poll should be disclosed when the results enter the public domain. Both bodies confirmed on Friday that they had launched inquiries into JL Partners. The reviews followed Channel 4 News' broadcast of footage from an undercover investigation into Reform’s finances, where investigative journalists posed as a Reform donor and his American father, who paid over £30,000 for polling from JL Partners generating positive headlines for the party.
Nigel Farage, Reform’s leader, was filmed saying the polling was ‘amazing’ and provided ‘bang for buck’. The UK-based son was suggested as the official donor, despite the money originating from his father. Farage reportedly welcomed the suggestion. In the UK, only those registered on the electoral roll are permitted to donate to political parties, raising concerns that the polls and a proposed larger donation could be illegal.
On Friday, as Reform’s annual conference began in Birmingham, the party suspended two senior officials, James Orr (head of policy) and Dan Jukes (senior adviser to Farage), who were filmed plotting to bypass electoral laws. The first poll, conducted in January, opposed Labour’s plans to cancel local elections, showing Labour would face heavy defeats. The second, published in April, suggested two-thirds of voters wanted then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign. The third, released in June, showed support for Reform among trade union members was leveling with Labour.
JL Partners’ co-founder James Johnson admitted in undercover footage that the company had engaged in ‘informal rule-bending’ regarding one survey and acknowledged it should have disclosed the client. The company stated it was reviewing procedures to strengthen safeguards. The British Polling Council confirmed its rules were breached, and the Market Research Society referred the matter to the Market Research Standards Board for review.
The results of the polling appeared on the front pages of *The Times* and *The Daily Telegraph*, which stated they were unaware of the polling’s connection to Reform. The British Polling Council emphasized that all poll data must include a reference to the client commissioning the survey.
Source: The Guardian
