Key facts
- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage stated that two donations totaling £72 million are compliant with current UK law.
- Farage declined to confirm when donors Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne returned to the UK.
- Proposed legislation seeks to cap donations from British expatriates at £100,000 annually.
- Under the proposed bill, individuals must have been UK-resident for at least a full year to avoid the donation cap.
- Farage threatened to retaliate by limiting trade union donations if Reform UK is elected.
- Schools minister Georgia Gould defended the retrospective nature of the bill to prevent a rush of donations before legislation takes effect.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has stated that two substantial donations totaling £72 million, received from crypto billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, are "100% compliant with the law today." However, Farage declined to specify when the two individuals, who have until recently lived abroad, returned to the UK. This information is pertinent as the UK Parliament is currently debating legislation that would impose an annual cap of £100,000 on donations from British expatriates, with a proposed backdating of the rule change to March 25, 2026.
Farage criticized the government's attempt to retrospectively declare donations illegal, suggesting that such actions could lead to retaliatory measures, such as limiting trade union donations, if his party were to form a government. He argued that this would destabilize political funding and potentially lead to taxpayer-funded political parties.
The Representation of the People Bill, currently under debate in the House of Lords, aims to cap donations from British citizens living overseas. The legislation stipulates that individuals must have been registered as residing in the UK by March 25, 2026, and would need to wait at least a year after returning to the UK before making donations exceeding £100,000.
Schools Minister Georgia Gould told the BBC that the government is concerned about large sums of money influencing politics and that the retrospective element of the bill is designed to prevent a surge of donations before new rules take effect. Sir Philip Rycroft, who authored a report on foreign interference, noted that while his review did not cover domestic donations, he sees merit in capping large sums regardless of donor residency. He acknowledged the controversial nature of the retrospective ban but emphasized its role in preventing donations before new caps are implemented.