The chairman of JCB has dismissed accusations that Reform UK struck a backroom deal involving a £200,000 donation and his company's pothole-repair machine, the Pothole Pro.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Lord Bamford said the machine's growing use by councils simply reflects strong engineering, noting it now operates under Labour, Conservative, Reform, SNP and Liberal Democrat administrations alike.

Scrutiny of the relationship between JCB and Reform intensified after Lord Bamford donated £200,000 each to Reform and the Conservatives in November 2025, and after Reform used images of the machine in local election leaflets.

Reform leader Nigel Farage appeared on stage on a Pothole Pro at Reform’s 2025 local election campaign launch rally in Birmingham, and the leader of Warwickshire County Council last year posted a video promoting JCB equipment.

The Liberal Democrats complained to the Electoral Commission in May, which found no grounds for action, noting JCB is a legitimate UK donor and that it has no oversight of council contracts.

The row also involves Lincolnshire County Council's decision to run a second trial of the Pothole Pro after Reform took control of the authority last year. The council had rejected the machine as uneconomical in a nine-week test in 2021 under Conservative leadership, but judged it to be cost-effective after an eight-month trial starting in September 2025.

Shaun Butcher, Head of Highways Asset and Local Management Services at Lincolnshire County Council, said: ‘In our test, which was carried out by officers for the council independent of any political group, the outcome has been extremely clear, and the Pothole Pro has exceeded its targets for area repaired.’

Similarly, Leicestershire County Council initially rejected the Pothole Pro but since being taken over by Reform, it has announced it is trialling the machine.

Commenting on the decision, the cabinet member for highways, Cllr Andrew Hamilton-Gray, emphasised that it was just a trial and not a decision to buy: ‘We need to see how it performs on our roads, how it supports our teams and whether it offers the right value for Leicestershire residents.’

Labour-led Stoke-on-Trent Council, which helped develop the Pothole Pro with JCB, reported that they had a 740% increased output, which amounts to 18 years of traditional work completed in 2.4 years.

Cllr Daniel Jellyman, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Regeneration and Heritage, said: ‘Alongside our ongoing £35m investment into the city’s roads and transport network, the Pothole Pro is allowing us to repair potholes in record time to a very high standard. The machine is a brilliant weapon in our armoury as we make sure our road network is fit-for-purpose and supports residents, businesses and visitors.’

This article was originally published by LAPV.