Channel 4 undercover re Farage

I agree. Pressure should be put on Cambridge to get rid of Orr too. How can a supposedly elite institution have such a clearly corrupt man in place. Does he claim to be a Christian too? I'm so tired of these right wingers who are the least Christ like people imaginable claiming to be Christians. Which Christ do they worship? Which bible do they read?

Unsurprisingly Farage is talking to Nick Ferrari on LBC and as usual blaming everyone else and claiming that the party has done 'nothing wrong' and that there is 'no issue' and that they are 'targeted by the 'establishment'.

Unbelievable levels of gaslighting.

I suspect it will be a fair play thing to the journalist team and Ch4 ?

It's their scoop sort of thing, so let them have the limelight for half a day ? I did not see it on the SKY website either , but now with new developments they are covering it.

Shorter article:

The Curious Case of James Orr
21percent.org/?p=4327

An investigation by the Financial Times, published on 3 September 2026, sets out how Orr has combined his tenured Cambridge post with his Reform role. It also reports the outcome of a formal complaint made against him by one of his own PhD students. The particulars will interest anyone who has followed how Cambridge chooses which of its staff it disciplines, which it defends, and which it allows to make their own account of what has happened.

The piece goes on to detail how a complaint brought by a theology PhD student of academic negligence and bullying was partially upheld against Orr and the Divinity Faculty.

However although the university paid the student compensation and the Divinity chair of faculty, Professor Richard Rex, wrote a formal letter of apology on the faculty's behalf, Orr claimed not to even know about the outcome of the complaint never mind to have been subjected to any action.

The article compares this to the university's rather different handling of a number of other complaints.

It's instructive.

But even more instructive is this part (my bolding)

In 2024, Cambridge’s Faculty of Divinity admitted Dóra Szűcs to a PhD programme under Orr’s supervision. Szűcs is the former chief of staff to Balazs Orbán, director of Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), Viktor Orbán’s flagship think tank in Hungary. She was also its former international director. She has no publicly recorded qualifications in divinity or the philosophy of religion.

Between 2022 and her application, Orr was speaking regularly at MCC events. During the same period, the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation, of which Orr is a director, received £512,500 from MCC , almost all of its income. That foundation in turn funds the Cambridge Scrutonian Society, an invitation-only discussion group founded at Orr’s request. A grant application from the foundation to MCC states that the Scrutonian model is “intended to spread throughout the United Kingdom and Europe” and that the foundation would develop a “detailed plan to effectively influence British cultural institutions”.

Cambridge University once again failing to cover itself wih glory here, taking money (though only 5 figures which is pocket lint never mind pocket change to Thiel) from Peter Theil around the same time they gave a job to his little protege Orr. And the same time Orr managed to buy his massive riverfront property in Cambridge too

. Apparently the Uni recently had to pay a fine because Orr messed some poor student around. (In the FT story about Orr posted upthread)

It's all so shoddy.

I love how Thiel is concerned with the antichrist being here on earth already. If anyone is the antichrist my bets would be on him or his best pal Musk.

There is something going on at the BBC - Robbie Gibb etc. Same with OFCOM. There have been too many politically motivated appointments. The irony is that those on the right claim that there is a left wing bias when all the evidence shows it's the right, and Reform especially, who've been given an easy ride.

I'm not sure Orr is out of the picture. I don' think he's the sort to resign and slink away.

In case anyone's interested, here's a crash course in Thiel and Orr's Stellenbosch-on-the-Cam and Orr's not-a-college on the river in suburban north Cambridge.

Long detailed article:

Palantir Co-Founder Peter Thiel and Reform UK’s Cambridge University Recruitment Pipeline Project Revealed
https://bylinetimes.com/2026/07/09/peter-thiel-and-reform-uks-cambridge-university-pipeline-project/
James Orr’s recruitment drive for students at Cambridge University on behalf of Reform UK has been indelibly linked to Peter Thiel’s opaque involvement in the university, which has been ongoing for more than a decade.

As Byline Times previously reported, the chief of staff at Thiel Capital began travelling to Cambridge regularly to convene a network of conservative academics across the university as early as 2016.

Three years later, in 2019, James and Helen Orr purchased their rambling riverside property when it became clear that James Orr could secure a position as Associate Professor in the Faculty of Divinity.

Byline Times can reveal that this coincided with a secret donation to Cambridge University from Peter Thiel.

University documents seen by Byline Times confirm that the Palantir co-founder made an offer of a five-figure donation to the institution through James Orr in November 2018, when he was under consideration for the role of University Lecturer in the Philosophy of Religion.

Agree. If this was any other party leader it would.be afar bigger story. We know it would be. It's really odd. This is huge

Yes, now Cambridge need to look into his 'community'. And possibly the Anglican church re: his wife. They encourage students and 'thinkers' in their faith. I linked to an article, at 21.50 last night, that someone posted on Bluesky - the FT did such a long essay on Orr yesterday. Coincidence?

Starmer got targeted over a pair of glasses.

They all get targeted. Just it seems Reform had a period of being “let off” and got too complacent and now it’s hitting them in the arse 😂🎉

I don't get why the BBC aren't making more of this element of it. Farage is clearly up to his neck in it.

The thing is they're so shady, I doubt he'll genuinely be out of the picture! Just not officially on the books anymore!

Did you mention crapto? That causes an automatic hide-until-reviewed.

Seriously Mumsnet you have removed my comments?

Well if Orr is out of the official picture that’s something. A genuine extremist.

The two main characters in the footage have now resigned so I assume Farage will try to distance himself from this but he has clearly been caught on camera showing awareness of what they were doing and enjoying it...

I am delighted to wake up to this today!

Farage has always been a dodgy grifter with foreign links.

It is hard to believe that people keep being fooled by his 'man of the people' act but at least more and more is coming out about how the party is really funded.

His core racist, xenophobic voters will stick with Reform but hopefully the more reasonable people who just supported them as a protest vote will now see them from who they really are.

The right wing client media has helped prop him up for too long so it is good to see that other journalists are finally exposing the dodgy finances.

Why are you so insistent to claim this won’t impact him? He could end up in prison!

I'd love to see him banged up for it.

Politicians need to remember they work for US.

Why didn't he declare it though? Do you think he innocently forgot? It just slipped his mind... It's not like he was rolling in it, clearly he wasn't otherwise he wouldn't have been making those desperate cameo videos supporting the IRA and neo Nazis for £80 a pop. He's bent, corrupt and has lots to hide!

Harriet Harman doesn't seem to think the £5 million donation is that important after all - she's more concerned about the integrity of the process (I can't link to the article - a certain currency is named in the title);

2 Sept 2026 Independent

“In the end, the committee members are there to ensure the rules are followed and they expect those being investigated to uphold the integrity of the process. If Mr Farage were to simply apologise and register the donation then that would probably be an end to the matter.

“But on the other end of the scale, if he attacks the integrity of the process then he undermining it and faces a stiffer penalty.