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 is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge. His academic background includes earlier work as a corporate lawyer before a move into philosophy and theology. He later became a senior adviser to Nigel Farage and Reform UK's head of policy. On 4 September 2026 the BBC reported that Orr and Dan Jukes had stood down pending an internal investigation into funding allegations following undercover reporting. Reform denied wrongdoing; stepping aside pending an investigation is not a finding that an offence occurred. Sources: https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/directory/dr-james-orr https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86xj5z7x61o

Recorded incidents (showing 1-2 of 2)

James Orr praised bookshop later linked to racist social‑media post

Category: racism

James Orr praised Oldspeak bookshop on a BBC podcast, describing visiting “the country’s first conservative bookshop” and giving a shout‑out to its owner “Jo”. Oldspeak has sold Nazi and white‑nationalist material and its X account posted an unblurred photograph of two Muslim men with the caption “It’s started”, a post its owner Joanne May published; Suffolk Constabulary said a member of the public reported the image and enquiries are ongoing. The interaction has drawn local criticism and a police officer advised the owner to be aware of what she was posting; Orr did not respond to requests for comment.

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".