Reform UK Lands Record £36 Million Donation as Funding Scrutiny Deepens
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 11
Reform UK Lands Record £36 Million Donation as Funding Scrutiny Deepens
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 11
Summary
£36 million from crypto billionaire Ben Delo gives Reform UK the biggest single political donation in British history, eclipsing the party’s previous £9 million record gift from Christopher Harborne.
Delo said he will fund Reform at roughly £1 million a month through the latest possible 2029 election date, but paid the full amount upfront in case Labour later tightens rules on mega-donations.
Nigel Farage called the gift an honour, while Delo said the money should let Reform spend less time fundraising and more time preparing for government.
The windfall lands as Reform faces police scrutiny over alleged foreign-funding breaches and as Farage is separately being investigated over whether he should have declared a £5 million cash gift.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats used the donation to renew calls for caps on political giving, with ministers already pursuing tighter limits on some overseas-linked donors.