Reform UK is raising millions more than other political parties from private donations, bringing in £9m largely from cryptocurrency billionaires in the first three months of the year. The figures, published by the Electoral Commission, show that Nigel Farage's party took a £3m donation from Christopher Harborne, a cryptocurrency and aviation investor who is a British-Thai dual citizen, and £4m from Ben Delo, a cryptocurrency entrepreneur relocating to the UK from Hong Kong.
Together, these two donations account for a third of all private money flowing into British politics in the first quarter. Reform's fundraising far outstripped that of Labour and the Conservatives, which each raised about £4m from private donations during the same period.
Harborne's latest donation brings his total contributions to Reform UK to £15m over the past year, while Delo is a first-time donor to the party. The party also secured £1m from David Grainger, an investor in health and longevity. Another new donor is Navroz Udwadia, co-founder of investment firm New Wave Global. Additionally, a company owned by Paul Mackings, Reform's leader on South Tyneside council, donated £111,000.
The Conservatives received a boost of £1.1m from donor Mary V Doran, while Labour's biggest contributors included regular donors David Sainsbury and Gary Lubner, as well as major trade unions. Overall, private donations in the first quarter more than doubled compared to the same period last year, driven largely by Reform's influx of crypto investor money.
Susan Hawley, executive director of the Spotlight on Corruption campaign group, said the figures expose "the scale of big money flowing into British politics and raise serious questions about who is funding our political parties and what access that money may be buying." She added: "Time and again, we see a small number of wealthy individuals and opaque corporate structures playing an outsized role in financing our democracy. That risks undermining public trust and fuels the perception that the rich can simply buy political influence, bypassing and undermining our democracy."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been pressed to introduce a cap on donations, but he reiterated the government's plans to limit only overseas donations and impose a moratorium on cryptocurrency donations. Jackie Killeen, director of regulation at the Electoral Commission, said: "Political parties accepted £24.7m in donations in the first quarter of 2026. The UK political finance system has high levels of transparency, and we know that voters care about where parties get their money from. This publication is a key part of delivering this information to voters." She noted that proposed reforms in the representation of the people bill could strengthen donation controls and help ensure voter confidence.
