James Orr - Former Head of Policy | Reform Watch

Profile and accountability tracker for James Orr, Former Head of Policy. Reform UK.

Role: Former Head of Policy

Party: Reform UK

James Orr (born November 1978) is a British academic and political figure. He is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge. He previously worked as a corporate lawyer and holds degrees from Oxford (Classics) and Cambridge (MPhil/PhD in Philosophy of Religion). Since late 2025, he has been senior adviser to Nigel Farage, and from early 2026 Head of Policy for Reform UK. On 4 September 2026, following undercover footage broadcast by Channel 4 News and Verbatim, Orr agreed to step down from his role pending the outcome of Reform UK's internal investigation. He denies breaking party funding rules. The Electoral Commission and the Metropolitan Police were reported to be considering the footage.

Recorded incidents (showing 1-1 of 1)

James Orr filmed plotting to channel US donations to Reform UK

Category: corruption

James Orr, Reform UK’s head of policy, was filmed in an undercover sting telling reporters posing as wealthy American donors that the party could circumvent strict UK laws on foreign political donations, saying the reality was they could "easily get away with it". The footage showed Orr and senior aide Dan Jukes discussing routing American cash through a British citizen to avoid legal scrutiny and referenced polling paid for by the purported donors. The footage also includes Nigel Farage thanking the purported donors and referring to the polling as "bang for your buck". The Electoral Commission and police are investigating the alleged scheme. Both Orr and Jukes were removed from their positions by the party, and Farage said the row "looks bad".