Key facts
- Reform UK received £72 million in donations from billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne.
- The donations are significantly larger than the combined spending of major parties in the 2024 general election.
- Christopher Harborne, a donor, is registered to vote in the UK but based in Thailand.
- Ben Delo, another donor, recently returned to the UK from Hong Kong.
- Nigel Farage is under investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog for failing to declare a £5 million gift from Harborne.
- Senior Reform officials are reportedly under investigation for attempting to avoid electoral laws on foreign donations.
Reform UK has received substantial donations totaling £72 million from billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, a move the party claims levels the electoral playing field. However, these unprecedented sums, particularly given the donors' overseas ties and potential personal financial interests in Reform's policy proposals, present significant risks.
Nigel Farage's party argues that the funding is necessary to compete with larger parties, whose combined spending in the 2024 general election was around £65 million. Reform's own expenditure was a fraction of this. The new influx of cash could allow Reform to expand its organizational reach across constituencies.
The primary downside for Reform is the potential for opponents to portray the party as being funded by and beholden to wealthy individuals disconnected from ordinary voters. Both Delo and Harborne are cryptocurrency billionaires with international connections. Reform's platform includes pledges to liberalize crypto rules, which could benefit these donors.
Furthermore, the donations renew scrutiny on Farage's personal finances. He is currently under investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog for failing to declare a £5 million gift from Harborne, which only came to light after a media report. This has led to a period of reduced public appearances for Farage.
Adding to the party's challenges, undercover footage broadcast by Channel 4 News appeared to show senior Reform officials discussing ways to circumvent electoral laws regarding foreign donations, with Farage apparently aware of these discussions. The party denies wrongdoing, but two key aides, Dan Jukes and James Orr, have been suspended, and police are investigating.
While Reform officials might hope to counter negative coverage with extensive advertising, the party faces a broader challenge in Westminster's first-past-the-post system. Polls suggest a growing perception among voters that Reform and its leader are untrustworthy, potentially uniting other voters against them.