Reform leader Nigel Farage has confirmed two donations of £36m each from cryptocurrency businessmen Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, totalling £72m, as Labour MPs prepared to realign around a bill that could restrict donations of this kind, according to the Guardian.
Nigel Farage has confirmed two donations to the Reform party, each worth £36m, from cryptocurrency businessmen Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, according to the Guardian. The Reform leader said he was “humbled” by the gifts, which together total £72m.
The Guardian described the donations as “game-changing” and said the party had, in its characterisation, been “engulfed in financial scandals.” The sources do not allege any wrongdoing on the part of the two donors in connection with these gifts.
According to the Guardian, the donations come as Labour MPs were set to realign later that day around a bill that could stop donations like these “in their tracks.” It is not yet known whether such legislation would advance or how it would treat existing donations.
The report appeared in the Guardian’s Monday briefing, which also covered separate developments, including former chancellor George Osborne’s comment that Britain’s economy had “fallen off a cliff” since Brexit and his argument that rejoining the European Union’s customs union would be the fastest route to recovery.
Why it matters
Donations of this scale can significantly expand a party's resources and influence, raising questions about the role of large private money in British politics. The timing, as Labour MPs weigh legislation that could restrict such gifts, makes the funding debate immediately relevant to voters.