A second cryptocurrency billionaire has given £36 million to Reform UK, bringing the party £72 million from just two donors in less than 48 hours as it prepares for the next general election.
Christopher Harborne announced his contribution on Saturday afternoon, matching a pledge made a day earlier by fellow crypto investor Ben Delo. The two payments are jointly the largest donations ever made to a British political party. Reform’s leader, Nigel Farage, said he was “honoured and humbled” by both men, calling them backers who believe “we are the only party that can turn the country around and win the next general election.” The party said it planned to hire about 400 campaign managers in target constituencies and described itself as now on an “election footing.”
Harborne, already Reform’s biggest donor, disclosed the contribution in a Telegraph article and said Delo’s pledge had inspired him to match it. “What do I expect in return for my donations? Nothing. No peerage, no policy change, just a party that is ready for government,” he wrote.
The money arrives while Reform faces scrutiny over its finances. The Metropolitan Police is conducting an inquiry into the party’s funding, and Farage is subject to a parliamentary standards investigation over a £5 million gift from Harborne made before he was elected an MP in 2024. Reform has denied any wrongdoing. Head of policy James Orr and adviser Dan Jukes stepped down pending an internal investigation after a Channel 4 undercover report alleged the party had arranged for a US company to pay for polling. The party called the report a hoax by climate activists.
The donations have intensified calls for a cap on money from individual donors. Labour MP Stella Creasy tabled an amendment to the representation of the people bill proposing an annual cap of £100,000 on most domestic donations. The bill has its second reading in the Lords on Monday.
Duncan Hames of Transparency International UK said the payments made “an irrefutable case” for a cap, warning that “at this rate just two people could end up buying our democracy before the next election.” Under the new legislation, donations from Britons living abroad or those who have returned to the country within the past 12 months will be capped at £100,000 a year, with the rules backdated to March. Harborne is a citizen of the UK and Thailand, while Delo recently moved back to Britain from Hong Kong.
Reform has said that if it comes to power it would propose a law to boost crypto adoption, including cutting capital gains tax for digital assets and creating a bitcoin reserve fund at the Bank of England.