The Metropolitan Police is investigating a donation to Robert Jenrick's campaign in the race to become Conservative leader. The inquiry started in January 2025 after the Electoral Commission raised concerns about where the money came from.

Jenrick was one of the candidates trying to replace Rishi Sunak as party leader in 2024. He came second to Kemi Badenoch. His campaign received donations from a British company called Spott Fitness. That's not illegal by itself — but the Electoral Commission became suspicious about £37,500 of that money. They thought it might have actually come from the United States, which would break the law. Foreign donations to UK political campaigns are not allowed.

The money may have come from Innovyz, an American company, and an American businessman called Gary Klopfenstein. He admitted to fraud in 2024.

Jenrick says he never met Klopfenstein and knew nothing about any of this. He called the claims "entirely false." His team says he "fully cooperated" with the Electoral Commission's investigation and that their checks proved he was not at fault.

Ullmann — the British businessman whose company gave the money — has not commented publicly.

The Conservative Party said it reminded all leadership candidates in 2024 about the rules on donations. This was a normal step, not a comment on Jenrick's specific case.

Jenrick changed parties in 2025 and is now an MP for Reform UK. This matters: the police investigation is now looking into a donation to a man who is no longer a Conservative — and that will affect how both parties deal with the situation.

The BBC, Telegraph, and Financial Times have all confirmed the police inquiry is real and ongoing.

Why this is tricky: Electoral law says you cannot give foreign money to a UK political campaign. But it is harder to check if money came from abroad when it travels through a British company first. Spott Fitness is a UK company, so it was technically allowed to give money — but where did Spott Fitness get the money? That is what investigators need to prove.

For Reform UK, this is awkward timing. The party says it stands for cleaner politics than the mainstream parties. A police investigation into one of their MPs — even for something that happened before he joined — is not the story they wanted to be managing right now.

For the Conservatives, this shows how a difficult leadership race can cause problems that last for years. Kemi Badenoch, who won the contest, is not directly involved. But the party's careful statement about reminding candidates of the rules suggests they want to stay at arm's length from Jenrick's fundraising.

The police have not said when they will finish their investigation. Jenrick has not been charged with any crime.