Two crypto billionaires donate £72m to Reform UK

financeSep 12, 2026261,555

Two cryptocurrency billionaires, Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, each donated £36 million to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, together totaling £72 million. Ben Delo’s £36 million gift was reported as a record single donation; Delo was convicted in the US in 2022 for failing to implement adequate anti-money-laundering controls at BitMEX and later pardoned by Donald Trump, and has moved back to the UK. Christopher Harborne’s £36 million match came days after Delo’s donation and follows earlier gifts Harborne made to Reform; the two donations together exceed the total donations received by all UK political parties last year. Reform said it was confident Delo’s residency would not trigger the overseas-donor cap that applies to large gifts. The cash arrives while Nigel Farage faces a Metropolitan police investigation into overseas funding for Reform and a standards inquiry over a previously undeclared £5 million personal gift from Harborne. Labour MP Stella Creasy and other MPs called for a cap on large donations, and the government said it was exploring ways to limit mega-donations to prevent a handful of donors having outsized influence. Farage said he was "honoured and humbled" by Delo’s confidence in Reform.

Peter Geoghegan

@petergeoghegan.bsky.social

🔴 More than 80% of all the donations ever received by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK have come from just two cryptocurrency billionaires, new Democracy for Sale analysis reveals. “If that isn’t a massive corruption risk I don’t know what is.” democracyforsale.substack.com/p/breaking-8...

61627d ago

Peter Geoghegan88

Reform has basically been bought by two crypto bros As @philbrickellmp.bsky.social told me, Burnham needs to act, urgently and amend Elections Bill “It’s incumbent on the government to move at pace... safeguard our politics from the funding arms race now staring back at all of us.”

tristan-uk.bsky.social8

Reform is a Private Limited Company owned by billionaires and represents their interests. The "illegal immigrants" racism is a manipulation designed to keep the working class fighting amongst themselves.

Anthony 💙🇺🇳🇪🇺🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇦🇺5

Not "a risk", it just is corruption. If it was a brown envelope stuffed with cash handed over at midnight in a pub car park it wouldn't be called "a risk".

Bryan laverty2

When is cryptocurrency going to be investigated for the ponzi scheme it really is?

Benjamin Thomas1

And both these billionaires have a very chequered history to put it mildly….

Jan Dehn1

Nigel Farage is a fascist. He puts power above all else. Above Democracy. Above rule of law. Above human rights. He equates power with money. The rich recognise this and see Farage as someone who will look after their interests, i.e. help them protect their wealth and likely increase it.

Quoting this

Ed Wilson29

"Parties are limited to a maximum spend of just over £34m in general election years but there are no limits at other times." #BBCPM

Mic Wright

@brokenbottleboy.bsky.social

£72m to Reform isn’t a ‘show of force’. It’s a supermarket sweep of the UK electoral system. A healthy media environment wouldn’t simply raise its eyebrows and sigh.

32328d ago

Kuntie Plopkins7

Aided & abetted by BBC's chief political editor

The Glass is Empty3

With a few honourable exceptions it is totally diseased. A government who weren’t themselves bought might counter this anti democratic trend. Would be great if we had one.

Richard Bairwell3

Isn't their whole slogan/motto "The Party Of The Elite MegaRich"?

Jason Scott-Warren1

get the billionaires out of our news media: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...

Stuart Dillon1

And Labour could have stopped this but chose not to

Parody Nigel Farage

@parodypm.bsky.social

Great news that the £36m donation by the crypto billionaire with a previous conviction has been matched by £36m from the crypto billionaire who is already the subject of an investigation by the Standards Commissioner. 😁

19727d ago

Rick2

I seriously think that under the powers of terrorism act, these funds should be frozen. This is imo domestic terrorism, they are (in their own words) trying to overthrow the establishment.

TensegrityFan🐝🍯2

You’re joking. Not another £36m donation!

mothcone.bsky.social1

Grab and smash ! #StopFarage #StopReform #StopTheFarRight #FarageScandal #Fascism

Iacovos1

Just think how much good £72m could do if seized by the UK government as proceeds of crime and used to, say, feed hungry kids

Phil Leighton1

He needs the money for another by-election in Clacton when he resigns once the standard committee investigation gets into full swing

Farrukh

@implausibleblog.bsky.social

BBC News, "Reform UK has received two record donations, both of £36 million" "Given by two different crypto currency billionaires" "Last year, if you add up all of the cash donations given to all of the political parties, it comes to about £69m" "These two donations alone come to £72m"

12728d ago

Simon S12

No gives that sort of money to anyone without wanting something in return. Reform and now brought and paid for by the crypto billionaires. So much for the party of workers and man of the people shtick.

@sandypalma.bskysocial3

Should we all be asking the boss to "gift" wages rather than paying a salary... so no tax???

Carole2

I wonder what those billionaires could possibly want.... 🤔 quite sure that a fair and equal society is not part of their plan #capthegrift

bimpson.bsky.social1

Reform is not a political party in the conventional sense. It is a company with Nigel Farage as its principal shareholder. Therefore these billionaires are gifting/investing in that company and by definition Nigel Farage.

Quoting this

Anne Roberts6

Is Burnham simply going to sit back and allow this? If so, he's a bloody coward. These people are just laughing at all of us, and at democracy.

Gentil Costa - Gentil’s Garage YouTube 5

I am now, very, very worried.

Dragonrider "Is he dead yet?" 🐠🐟 Try/Me 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️5

Looking forward to his declarations of interest, and his tax filing this year...

Richard Corbett CBE

@richardcorbett.bsky.social

£72 million is more than every UK political party combined accepted in donations and public funds throughout the whole of 2025. It’s more than twice what a party contesting every seat may spend nationally in the year before a general election. This is NOT normal! www.uglypolitix.com/p/two-men-48...

6227d ago

Chris2

There is no knowing the true source of this money.

Rob Jacobs1

I'm afraid the 2026 Representation of the People Act is like taking a paper knife to a gun fight.

mcornbeef.bsky.social1

If political donations are going to be limited "retrospectively", does that mean Reform would have to return the money to the donor?

tutorbradley.bsky.social1

Maybe they need the cash? Balaclavas don't grow on trees you know...

Will Yeates

@wyeates.bsky.social

And now another £36m. Two crypto billionaires. £72m to one political party in two days. More than every UK political party received combined last year. This isn’t healthy political participation. It’s a flashing red warning about the power of extreme wealth. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

4028d ago

David Higham

@oldtrotter.bsky.social

A surge in the number of vigilante groups, cryto billionaires giving £72m to Reform in a new version of “match funding”, and Trump weighing in on Irish unification. Just a normal week these days. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...

3027d ago

Jane

@localnotail.bsky.social

"The police investigation by the Met's Special Enquiry Team is being folded into an inquiry that has been under way into other donations to the party" Nigel Farage needs £72M for the most effective defence lawyers after the conclusion of investigationS into his party Reform UK's donations scandal

2427d ago

paulusthewoodgnome

@paulusthewoodgnome.bsky.social

Rinse and repeat... 'Reform UK has received a second £36m donation in two days, as Christopher Harborne says he has matched a record-breaking donation announced late on Friday. £72m is more than received by all UK political parties last year.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... bsky.app/profile/paul...

1828d ago

Dr Emu, Graham Pringle, PhD2

Far right really think it is a funding inevitability What if parties had motivating policies? Hmm

Ani1

Poor dears. They're doing their best to catch up with the MAGA level of corruption...

Lee caluan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿1

Well the Russians are clearly invested

Quoting this

paulusthewoodgnome28

Could this end up being a millstone around Reform's neck? A supposed 'People's Party' beholden to a foreign-based cryptocracy who couldn't be further removed from the daily concerns of Reform members? bsky.app/profile/paul...

NationCymru

@nation.cymru

A Welsh MP has called on the UK Government to introduce a cap on political donations after Reform UK received £72 million from two billionaires in the space of 48 hours

1527d ago

uppergwladysblu.bsky.social

@uppergwladysblu.bsky.social

Emergency legislation is needed IMMEDIATELY to stop this happening. Reform getting £72m in 2 days, more donations than all UK political parties combined received last year. This is an attack on our democracy. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

1728d ago

Chris #ChangeEverything #VoteGreen

@chrisl86.bsky.social

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ If they need these eye-wateringly huge sums of money to get into power - then they are not the anti-establishment party of the people as they profess, but are indeed the corrupt 'wolves in sheeps clothing' working for the reprehensible 1% that ARE the establishment! news.sky.com/story/reform...

1128d ago

Laurie Merrifield

@laurieboy.bsky.social

Direct linkage: Farage has offered Crypto billionaires a 50% cut in their Crypto Taxes if he is elected as Reform’s leader, which will lead to an avalanche of money laundering the likes of which we have never seen.

1627d ago