News in brief

Thursday 26 March 2026

Labour caps donations by Britons living overseas

Reform will have to find a new way to make money

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.

Labour has placed a £100,000 cap on the amount that British residents living overseas can give to political parties. It has also banned donations made using cryptocurrency wallets, which enable anonymous transfers. The changes have been made in response to a review into attempts by foreign states to interfere with British democracy. It was ordered after a former Reform MEP was convicted of taking bribes to make pro-Russian statements. The rule change is a setback for Nigel Farage’s party. Since August, Reform has received £12m in donations from Christopher Harborne, a reclusive businessman based in Thailand. It is also the only party to accept donations in cryptocurrency. Reform has been converting these into cash before they enter the party’s accounts, which makes them hard to track. This will no longer be possible.

Newsletters

Choose the newsletters you want to receive

View more

For information about how The Observer protects your data, read our Privacy Policy

Follow

The Observer
The Observer Magazine
The ObserverNew Review
The Observer Food Monthly
Copyright © 2025 Tortoise MediaPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions