James Orr
Cambridge philosopher of religion and former Reform UK head of policy.
James Orr left his POST as Reform UK's head of policy in September 2026, after a Channel 4 News undercover programme in which he said one arrangement for a US company to pay for party polls could "technically be a donation-in-kind".
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Why did Reform UK's head of policy step down in September 2026?
Timeline for James Orr
Stepped down after the broadcast
UK Local Elections 2026: Delo and Harborne give Reform £72mBackground
James Orr is an associate professor of philosophy of religion in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge.
He moved into party politics in February 2026, when Reform UK appointed him head of policy, putting a Cambridge academic in charge of shaping the party's platform ahead of a general election. Head of policy is a staff POST at Reform UK, not an elected office.
His time in the role ended within seven months. He resigned in September 2026 after appearing in an undercover Channel 4 News investigation into how polling for the party might be paid for. Reform denied wrongdoing, and the police statement that followed did not name him.
Orr resigns over polling payments film
Orr appeared in the film Verbatim Media made for Channel 4 News, broadcast in early September 2026. Undercover reporters, posing as an American backer and his son, discussed how a US firm might pay for opinion polling the party had commissioned, worth more than £30,000. Orr described one such arrangement as something that could "technically be a donation-in-kind".
He and an aide to Nigel Farage quit after it aired. Reform denied wrongdoing, blamed climate activists for what it called a hoax and pledged to HELP any inquiry. The Metropolitan Police statement that followed, reported on 10 September, named no individual, and no allegation against Orr personally has been tested.
Who is James Orr of Reform UK?
Why did James Orr leave Reform UK?
What did James Orr say in the Channel 4 programme?
