Aaron Banks reportedly ordered an investigation into the Conservative Party leader
British businessman and Reform UK supporter Arron Banks reportedly commissioned a private intelligence firm to investigate Conservative Party leader Kevin Hollinrayk, according to The Guardian. The publication notes that Banks, a former Reform UK candidate and donor to the campaign for Britain’s exit from the EU, effectively confirmed his involvement in a response on social media platform X.
The Mail on Sunday was the first to report on the use of private investigators to look into Hollinrayk. According to the newspaper, Banks used the services of Precision Risk and Intelligence—a company he previously owned.
Hollinrake is leading the Conservatives’ response to reports about the finances of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. In particular, he has raised questions about an undeclared gift of 5 million pounds that Farage received before the last election from Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Garborn.
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Commenting on reports of the investigation, Hollinrake stated that following calls to thoroughly scrutinize Reform UK’s finances, a close associate of Farage reportedly hired private investigators to gather information about him and the journalists covering the story. Banks responded by writing that he had met people who like to dish it out but can’t take it. When asked whether Reform UK knew about the surveillance, he replied that he was acting on his own.
Earlier, the New Statesman reported that Banks had commissioned Precision Risk and Intelligence to investigate Gabriel Pogrand, the investigative editor of the Sunday Times. Banks claimed that the Sunday Times had allegedly used data obtained through a hack, and that his organization has a division with advanced capabilities. The Sunday Times rejected this allegation.
The News Media Association, which represents national and regional media outlets, expressed concern and called the use of private investigators to obstruct legitimate journalistic inquiries an attack on democracy. The organization’s CEO, Theo Bamber, stated that intimidation and harassment of journalists are increasingly being used to limit public scrutiny.
