The Metropolitan Police are assessing evidence concerning almost £40,000 in donations made to Robert Jenrick’s Conservative leadership campaign in 2024, amid allegations the money originated from a foreign donor in breach of electoral law.
Police investigation
The force confirmed it received a referral from the Electoral Commission on 6 January 2026 after the commission’s own investigation into donations connected to the leadership contest identified potential offences outside its remit. “This referral is under review and until it has been completed, we’re not in a position to comment further,” a Met Police spokesperson said.
The Electoral Commission said it had been investigating donations linked to the 2024 campaign and had paused its own inquiry pending the police assessment. “Evidence of potential offences outside our remit was referred to the Metropolitan Police Service on 6 January 2026,” a commission spokesperson said. “We don’t discuss the details of our investigations and cannot comment further at this stage.”
Donation allegations and foreign funding rules
The core allegation is that £37,500 of the £100,000 in donations received by Mr Jenrick’s campaign from Spott Fitness Limited – a UK-registered company – actually originated from a US businessman, Gary Klopfenstein, through his company Innovyz USA. Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, it is illegal for foreign companies or individuals to donate to UK political parties. Even when a donation passes through a UK-registered entity, the ultimate source of the funds determines its legality. If the money can be traced to a foreign person or business, the donation is impermissible.
The research into the case has raised questions about the financial health and structure of Spott Fitness Limited. The company, which made the donations to Mr Jenrick, has never recorded a profit, has no employees and carries significant debts. It also registered a loan from Centrovalli, a company based in the British Virgin Islands, in January 2026 – the same month the Electoral Commission referred the matter to the police. Phillip Ullmann, an entrepreneur who has identified himself as the ultimate source of the donations to Spott Fitness, told the commission he had been transparent with Mr Jenrick’s campaign. A spokesperson for Mr Ullmann said he had voluntarily provided information to the Electoral Commission and that he had introduced Mr Jenrick to the company, adding that the permissibility of the donations had been checked by the Conservative Party. Mr Ullmann’s name does not appear on the list of significant controllers for Spott Fitness at Companies House.
Gary Klopfenstein, the founder of Innovyz USA, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July 2024. His involvement has heightened scrutiny of the donations, although a spokesperson for Mr Jenrick insisted the former Conservative MP had complied with all electoral laws. “The suggestion that Robert knowingly accepted impermissible donations is an untrue, politically motivated smear, put about years later by the Conservatives, despite the fact that Mr Ullmann was introduced to Robert by a Tory MP, and had his donations’ permissibility checked by the party,” the spokesperson said.
The donations in question were made in July 2024, when Mr Jenrick’s campaign received three payments of £25,000 each from Spott Fitness, totalling £75,000, according to the timeline of events. Labour wrote to the Electoral Commission in September 2024 to request an investigation after Mr Ullmann revealed himself as the source.
Parliamentary standards probe
After the Electoral Commission referred the evidence to the Metropolitan Police, the Conservative Party wrote to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards calling for a separate investigation into whether Mr Jenrick breached the House of Commons Code of Conduct. The party claims the donations were paid into the “Newark Parliamentary Campaign Fund”, a bank account set up through Mr Jenrick’s parliamentary office and separate from the local Conservative Association. It says it was not aware the funds had been accepted at the time.
Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: “Foreign donations are illegal. Politicians who funnel and hide unlawful money should face the full force of the law. The police must investigate Reform UK’s spokesman for Financial Affairs Robert Jenrick. The Conservative Party has also reported Mr Jenrick to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, given the apparent serious breach of House of Commons rules. Parliament, the public and the Conservative Party all appear to have been deceived.”
Labour Party chair Anna Turley said the news “calls into question whether Jenrick has any respect for the integrity of our politics”. She added: “Reform have tried to dodge questions on the Richard Tice tax scandal. Their new recruit Jenrick must commit to immediately providing the police with the unvarnished truth on this matter.”
Mr Jenrick, who was sacked by Kemi Badenoch and defected to Reform UK in January 2026, is now the party’s Treasury spokesperson. Reform UK, Innovyz USA and Spott Fitness Limited have been contacted for comment.
