Channel 4 undercover re Farage

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

Seriously Mumsnet you have removed my comments?

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

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

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.

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 😂🎉

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?

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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”.

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.

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 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?

Indeed, @BrandiedAromatics .

Direct link to FT article

James Orr and the gospel of the new British right
Reform’s policy head is a Cambridge theologian with an enviable contact book and a belief in ‘faith, family and flag’
https://www.ft.com/content/c2d02f83-a5a0-4c46-adad-1bd8b70b7ea1?syn-25a6b1a6=1

I was trying to find a way of complaining to Cambridge - but it is all set up for students' complaints. And they have been - all along.

Cambridge doesn’t need another Cofnas | Varsity

So Dan Jukes and James Orr have only stood down "pending the outcome of the internal probe" by Reform.

Two senior Reform UK officials step down after undercover report
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c86xj5z7x61o