Police are assessing evidence about donations to Robert Jenrick\u2019s campaign to become Conservative leader in 2024 after a referral from the elections watchdog, the Guardian can reveal.<\/p>\n
The information was passed on by the Electoral Commission<\/a>, which the Guardian understands has been investigating allegations that almost \u00a340,000 of donations to Jenrick\u2019s leadership campaign before he defected to Reform UK, were from a foreign source in breach of electoral rules.<\/p>\n The Met said: \u201cOn Tuesday, 6 January we received a referral from the Electoral Commission concerning donations connected to a leadership campaign. This referral is under review and until it has been completed, we\u2019re not in a position to comment further.\u201d<\/p>\n The Electoral Commission confirmed that it had sent evidence about a leadership campaign to the Met after conducting its own investigation, with its inquiries now paused while the police review the material. The exact scope of the review is unclear and the police have not confirmed whether it relates to any specific individual. They could decide to open an investigation or take no further action.<\/p>\n The Guardian has established the Electoral Commission received allegations relating to donations to Jenrick by a UK-based company, The Spott Fitness. It is understood the electoral investigation centred on claims that \u00a337,500 out of the \u00a3100,000 in donations from The Spott Fitness was ultimately given by the US businessman Gary Klopfenstein via a US company he founded called Innovyz USA.<\/p>\n The allegations made to the Electoral Commission raise questions about whether the donations were permissible within electoral law, given foreign companies and individuals are not allowed to donate to UK politicians or parties.<\/p>\n The Electoral Commission said: \u201cWe have been investigating donations connected to a 2024 leadership campaign. Evidence of potential offences outside our remit was referred to the Metropolitan police<\/a> service on 6 January 2026. Our investigation is paused pending their assessment. We don\u2019t discuss the details of our investigations and cannot comment further at this stage.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Jenrick said he and his campaign team had complied with all electoral laws. He said he had no knowledge of whether Mr Klopfenstein was behind some of the donation, and that he had never had any contact with him or been aware of any alleged connection with the Spott Fitness donation until the Electoral Commission made inquiries. They said Jenrick did not know anything about the police\u2019s review and had not been contacted by them.<\/p>\n A spokesman for Phillip Ullman, a UK businessman previously thought to have been the ultimate source of donations made through The Spott Fitness, said he was transparent with Jenrick\u2019s campaign and voluntarily gave information to the Electoral Commission.<\/p>\n The revelation that Jenrick\u2019s political financing is under scrutiny will be embarrassing for the senior Reform politician as the party heads into the local elections.<\/p>\n At the time, Jenrick was a Conservative MP raising funds for a possible leadership bid to take over from Rishi Sunak, but he has since defected to Reform and is now Nigel Farage\u2019s Treasury spokesperson. The Conservative party said that it had referred Jenrick to the parliamentary commissioner for standards.<\/p>\n