Reform receives more money from overseas crypto billionaires

This article appeared as part of the Daily Sensemaker newsletter – one story a day to make sense of the world. To receive it in your inbox, featuring content exclusive to the newsletter, sign up for free here.

Reform has received another £7m from crypto billionaires who live outside the UK. This includes £3m from Christopher Harborne, the secretive Thai-based billionaire who gifted Nigel Farage £5m before the 2024 general election. Another £4m came from Ben Delo, who lives in Hong Kong. The donations underscore how reliant Reform is on a handful of wealthy benefactors compared to other parties. It raised £9.2m in total during the first part of the year, dwarfing the £4m Labour and the Conservatives each received. But without the largesse of Delo and Harborne’s contributions, Reform would be trailing far behind. In March the government announced a £100,000 cap on political donations from British nationals living overseas. Delo has pledged to return to the UK to continue giving to Reform.