Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4
Reform UK Declares £7 Million From 2 Crypto Billionaires as Donation Cap Fight Intensifies
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4

Reform UK Declares £7 Million From 2 Crypto Billionaires as Donation Cap Fight Intensifies

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4

Summary

  • £7 million from Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne dominated Reform UK's latest Electoral Commission filing, helping the party report £9.3 million in private donations in the first quarter.
  • Those gifts—£4 million from Hong Kong-based Delo and £3 million from Thailand-based Harborne—arrived before the government moved to cap annual donations from overseas British citizens at £100,000 from March 25.
  • Reform's haul easily outpaced Labour and the Conservatives, which each declared about £4 million from private sources over the same period; the Liberal Democrats reported £2.2 million and the Greens £209,000.
  • Harborne had already given Reform £12 million in 2025, including a record £9 million single donation, while Nigel Farage is still under investigation over whether he should have declared a separate £5 million gift from him.
  • The cap has become a political flashpoint ahead of the next election, with ministers framing it as a safeguard against foreign money and Reform donors accusing Labour of trying to choke off a fast-rising rival.

Insights

With new rules targeting Reform's overseas donors, are the UK's other 'big money' political funders next?
A top donor was pardoned by Trump after a financial crime conviction. Should this influence UK political funding laws?
Why ban crypto donations if the controversial £7 million was given in cash, not cryptocurrency?