STORY
Reform UK is set to receive a second £36 million donation from a cryptocurrency investor, taking the party’s newly announced funding to £72 million within 48 hours. Christopher Harborne said he would match the record contribution announced by BitMEX co-founder Ben Delo on Friday.
Harborne has previously provided substantial financial support to Reform and said he had intended to donate approximately £1 million for each month remaining before the next general election. He said Delo’s announcement had prompted him to make the entire £36 million contribution immediately. Reform leader Nigel Farage described the funding as providing the party with the resources needed to prepare for Government.
The contributions will be subject to checks and reporting requirements under electoral law. They have also renewed political calls for a limit on the amount that an individual may donate, although the Government has not announced that it will introduce such a cap. The donations should not be described as formally verified by the Electoral Commission until they appear in its published records.