Police investigating donation to Robert Jenrick’s Tory leadership campaign

Helen Corbett, Press Association Political Correspondent

Police are investigating a political donation of nearly £40,000 made to Robert Jenrick’s campaign to become Conservative Party leader.

The Newark MP ran to succeed Rishi Sunak as Tory leader in 2024 and lost to Kemi Badenoch.

He has since defected to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, where he is the Treasury spokesman.

The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into the origins of a donation after a referral from the Electoral Commission, The i Paper reported.

The money in question is a portion of a £100,000 donation from British entrepreneur Phillip Ullmann, via a company called Spott Fitness, to Mr Jenrick’s leadership campaign.

There have been allegations that £37,500 of it ultimately came from a foreign source – US businessman Gary Klopfenstein – in breach of UK electoral rules.

Mr Ullman and Mr Klopfenstein are reportedly in a legal dispute.

The Met did not specify which individuals they were investigating.

A Met Police spokesperson said: “We have launched an investigation following a referral from the Electoral Commission on Tuesday, 6 January concerning donations connected to a political party’s leadership campaign.

“The investigation remains ongoing.”

An Electoral Commission spokesperson said: “We have been investigating donations connected to a 2024 leadership campaign.

“Evidence of potential offences outside our remit was referred to the Metropolitan Police Service on 6 January 2026. Our investigation is paused pending their investigation into this matter.”

Mr Jenrick rejected the allegations.

“These allegations are entirely false, but it is no surprise that an establishment determined to stop Reform from delivering the change that this country so desperately needs would resort to making these demonstrably untrue claims.

“I have had no contact with the Met Police whatsoever in connection with this matter,” he said.

A spokesman for the Reform UK MP dismissed the suggestion that Mr Jenrick knowingly accepted impermissible donations as an “untrue, politically motivated smear”.

‘Checked by the party’

He said: “Mr Ullman was introduced to Robert by a Tory MP, and had his donations’ permissibility checked by the party.

“Robert and his campaign team complied with all electoral laws when receiving the donation received from Spott Fitness Ltd in 2024.

“Mr Jenrick has never met, spoken to, or had any contact with Mr Klopfenstein, nor was he aware of any connection between him and Mr Ullman’s donation until he was contacted by the Electoral Commission.

“He fully co-operated with the Electoral Commission inquiry, providing detailed records that categorically disproved these smears in 2025.”