Farage Threatens Labour's Union Funds in Fight Over £72m Reform Donations
Nigel Farage said a Reform UK government would stop trade unions funding Labour if moves to block £72m in donations to Reform UK go ahead. The Guardian reported the remarks on 15 September 2026.
Farage warned Labour that if it tried to ban Reform donors, a Reform government would ban funding from the trade unions, the membership groups that represent workers. He said he did not want to ban trade-union funding for Labour but that Reform would be prepared to do so. He made the remarks in an article for the Daily Telegraph.
The Telegraph published the article on 14 September 2026. The Telegraph Farage wrote it under the headline "If the old parties want a fight over donations, bring it on." Yahoo News LBC described the threat to stop Labour taking union cash as part of a row over crypto donations. LBC
The donations at issue, worth £72m to Reform UK, were announced at the weekend before 15 September 2026. The total was two separate donations of £36 million each. BBC Reform UK received the £72 million from two donors in less than 48 hours. Reuters Farage told the BBC that the two £36 million donations received over the weekend are compliant with the law.
Farage also said neither Ben Delo nor Christopher Harborne would receive House of Lords membership, favours, or policy influence.
On the legislative track, UK ministers believed the version of the Representation of the People Bill that left the Commons earlier in September 2026 would be enough to block some or all of the £72m donations to Reform UK. Ministers planned further amendments to the political donations legislation when peers debate amendments to make restrictions tighter.
Farage claimed the proposed donation laws would apply retrospectively from March 2026, when ministers first announced intention to legislate, rather than from royal assent later in 2026 or early 2027. Retrospective means covering donations already made. Royal assent is the final approval that turns a bill into law. The timing matters. Retrospective application would capture donations already announced. Commencement on royal assent would not.
Reform UK, established in 2021, stated that since 2021 the Conservatives and Labour together have raised considerably more money than Reform UK. Reform UK The party published a news post titled "These £72m donations are in investment in democratic renewal" on its official website.
The Representation of the People Bill itself is broader than donations. Its stated purpose is to make provision about political expenditure and political donations. UK Parliament Bills It includes adding bank cards to the list of approved voter ID, and strengthening the rules around political donations to minimise the risk of foreign donations. House of Commons Library Through the bill, the government is seeking to expand the Electoral Commission's civil sanctions remit and increase fines. The Commission is the independent body that oversees elections. House of Lords Library
The broader context here is a reciprocal escalation over party finance. Union affiliation fees and political funds sustain Labour's organisational base. Large individual donations offer Reform a different funding model, like two rivals running on different kinds of fuel. Each side is now threatening to legislate against the other's base. That converts a technical donations bill into leverage over the structure of political competition.
Looking at what this means for the next stage, procedure will decide substance. The Commons text is only the starting position. The Lords debate on tighter restrictions is where thresholds, definitions of permissible donors, and any retrospective effect will be tested. For practitioners, the variables to watch are commencement, scope of captured donations, and enforcement powers. The Electoral Commission remit and fines regime will determine whether new rules are deterrent or declaratory. The next test is in the Lords.
