Reform UK won't say if £72m donors returned to Britain in time for new limit

Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice has declined to specify when crypto billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne returned to the United Kingdom, despite the pair jointly donating £72m to the party. Delo previously lived in Hong Kong, while Harborne still spends significant time in Thailand, though he is registered to vote in the UK.

Tice told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was not the men's "executive assistant" tracking their daily schedules, but said he was fully confident the party had complied with both current and proposed donation rules. He said Delo had returned to the UK "many, many months ago."

New bill would impose limits

Parliament is currently considering the representation of the people bill, which does not yet include an overall cap on individual donations, following lobbying from Labour-backing trade unions. However, following a report on overseas influence in UK politics by former senior civil servant Sir Philip Rycroft, Britons living abroad will face a cap of £100,000 on donations.

The bill states the cap applies to anyone who was not a UK resident for electoral purposes for at least a year starting March 2026, and it will apply retrospectively once passed. Rycroft clarified that returning donors would only count as full domestic donors after living in the UK for a complete calendar year.

The two separate £36m donations, announced within 24 hours of each other, are unprecedented in UK political history and will substantially boost Reform's resources ahead of the next election. Tice criticized the bill's retrospective application, calling it an attempt by a "socialist government" to shield itself from competition. Schools minister Georgia Gould said the retrospective element was deliberate, intended to prevent a rush of donations flowing in before the legislation takes effect.