Crypto billionaire matches £36m Reform UK donation from fellow billionaire
Cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne has donated £36m to Nigel Farage's Reform UK, matching an equally large gift previously made by billionaire Ben Delo. Together the donations are the largest ever received by a UK political party.
Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Christopher Harborne has given £36m to Reform UK, matching a donation of the same size previously made by fellow billionaire Ben Delo. Combined, the two pledges represent the largest donations ever made to a political party in the United Kingdom, a scale likely to fuel renewed calls for a cap on political donations.
Reform leader Nigel Farage said he was "honoured and humbled" by the confidence shown by both donors, adding that their generosity would allow the party to contest the next general election on what he called a level playing field with rivals.
Donations arrive amid financial scrutiny
The gifts land at a sensitive moment for Reform UK, which is currently the subject of a Metropolitan police inquiry into its finances. Separately, Farage himself faces a parliamentary standards investigation tied to an earlier £5m gift from Harborne, given before Farage was first elected as an MP in 2024. Both Reform UK and Farage have denied any wrongdoing in connection with these matters.
In his own statement, Harborne acknowledged the donation would draw media speculation but insisted he expected nothing in return — no peerage and no policy concessions. He said he has already amassed enough wealth to last his lifetime and wants to put his resources toward Britain's future, so that his children and grandchildren can live happy, productive lives and be rewarded for hard work. He framed the donation as a vote of confidence in the party he believes is best placed to win the next election and turn the country around.
