Nigel Farage told his party conference this week that Reform UK hasn't taken an illegal penny. He may well be right. But nobody in this dispute seems to want to say what an illegal penny is, and having spent thirty years reading statutes for a living, I can tell you the answer has surprisingly little to do with pennies.

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The facts are simple enough.

A senior Reform adviser sits across a table from a man who says he's the British-based son of a wealthy American.

The father can't lawfully give money to a UK party.

What gets floated on camera is that the son puts his own name on the donation and the father's money reaches him first.

Reform says nothing unlawful was ever taken, calls the whole thing a hoax, and describes what viewers heard as 'pub talk'.

The adviser says he was entrapped. Nobody has been charged with anything, and I'm not suggesting they should be. This is analysis.

The relevant law is the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act........

© LBC