Reform councillors told to call donations inquiry ‘establishment stitch-up’

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Party briefing notes say: ‘Daily routine of hit jobs and smears will not deter us from winning next general election’ </p><p>Reform UK has instructed its councillors to describe a police investigation into donations from the mother of George Cottrell as an establishment stitch-up, as polling showed the party’s popularity plummeting.</p><p>Internal briefing documents circulated to the party’s councillors included instructions to respond to questions about a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/10/george-and-fiona-cottrell-understood-to-have-been-interviewed-under-caution-by-met-police">Metropolitan police investigation </a>into party donations with: “It is now clear that the establishment will try anything to stop us”, the <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/reform-nigel-farage-investigation-donations-george-cottrell-j0vxtchsn">Times revealed on Thursday</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/24/reform-councillors-told-to-describe-donations-inquiry-as-establishment-stitch-up">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.