Reform UK Deputy Leader Investigated over Undeclared Interest

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice is being investigated over a possible failure to declare an interest, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards said on its website on Monday.

The watchdog did not provide details of the allegation, saying only that the investigation was opened on 28 July and would be conducted by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg. The opening of an inquiry does not mean that any rules have been broken.

Reform UK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Telegraph reported that the investigation concerns an allegation that Tice failed to refer to a registered interest connected to Israel when speaking in a Westminster Hall debate on Israeli influence in British politics.

In a separate case, British police are investigating at least £500,000 ($675,000) in donations to Reform UK. Tice has described the inquiry as part of a “politically motivated smear campaign”.

The standards commissioner had previously been investigating Reform UK leader Nigel Farage over a £5m ($6.75m) donation from a cryptocurrency billionaire. That inquiry was paused after Farage resigned his parliamentary seat in July.

(Reuters, bak)