REFORM UK took another £3 million donation from crypto baron Christopher Harborne in the first quarter of the year, the latest records show.
Harborne and Farage’s relationship has been in the spotlight in recent months since it emerged that the Reform chief is under investigation for receiving £5m from the billionaire before the 2024 General Election, and failing to declare it in his register of interests.
Farage alleges that the money counts as a gift and was for his personal security, so didn’t need to be registered with parliamentary authorities.
He went on to purchase a property valued at £1.4m after receiving the cash.
Mega-donor Harborne has now donated over £20 million to Reform over the years, but he is not the only cryptocurrency magnate doing so.
In the latest round of declarations, Reform received £4m from Hong-Kong-based crypto entrepreneur Ben Delo, who has said he will move back to the UK to support the party after Labour introduced new rules restricting foreign donations.
Under the plans, there will be a maximum cap of £100,000 on political donations made by UK citizens living abroad.
Harborne, who is based in Thailand, also said he intends to find a way around the restrictions.
In the declarations, Reform were the most successful in drumming support among wealthy donors, bringing in over £9 million so far this year – however the party is heavily reliant on a small number of billionaires handing over cash.
Meanwhile the Tories and Labour brought in around £4m each, with smaller donations coming from a larger number of people.
The Green Party of England and Wales, who are growing their support base, brought in just £250,000.
