Reform UK's Twin £36m Donations: What Happened and Why the Rules Matter
Reform UK has received two separate £36m donations from cryptocurrency billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne.
The gifts total £72m and were made within 24 hours. They are jointly the largest donations made to a UK political party. The Guardian
Harborne's £36m donation was announced on Saturday afternoon on 12 September 2026. Reform UK had already received the money when it was announced.
Delo recently returned to the UK from Hong Kong. He was convicted in the US for failing to put adequate anti-money laundering controls in place, meaning basic checks designed to stop illegal funds moving through a business. He was pardoned by Trump. The Guardian
Harborne is based in Thailand and is registered to vote in the UK. That registration matters, because it decides whether his donation is allowed under current donation rules.
Harborne previously gave £5m to Nigel Farage, which Farage did not declare on entering Parliament. Farage was first elected as an MP in 2024. The parliamentary standards watchdog, the body that checks whether MPs follow the rules, is investigating that £5m gift as a possible breach of MPs' rules.
Reform UK planned to use the donation money to hire about 400 campaign managers in target constituencies. Farage said he is "humbled by the contributions" from the cryptocurrency billionaires.
The Metropolitan Police is conducting an inquiry into Reform UK's finances. Reform UK and Farage have denied any wrongdoing over funding inquiries.
Reform UK has argued the two £36m donations only level the playing field with bigger parties on funding. The party also said it is confident that money from Ben Delo would not be caught by a new overseas donor cap, a proposed limit on gifts from abroad.
In Parliament, Labour MP Stella Creasy proposed an annual cap of £100,000 on most domestic donations as an amendment to the representation of the people bill. The amendment was supported by 60 MPs but was not put to a vote.
The donations follow earlier reporting on Reform's funding base. Reuters reported on 3 September 2026 that 75% of Reform UK's donations came from a crypto entrepreneur pardoned by Trump. Reuters Reform UK also received a £4 million ($5.4 million) donation from a crypto investor convicted of a banking secrecy offence.
The broader context here is the gap between scale and control. British party finance still has no upper limit on donations that are allowed. A £100,000 cap would change the funding model for all parties, not only Reform. The fact that Creasy's amendment had 60 supporters but did not reach a vote shows interest in reform in the Commons, without agreement on how or when to act.
For enforcement, the two inquiries test different questions. The police inquiry concerns criminal liability around party finances. The standards investigation concerns declaration duties for an individual MP after election to Westminster. Neither inquiry has made findings. Harborne's electoral registration and Delo's residency history will be central to any judgment about what is allowed under existing law and under any future overseas-donor restriction.
