NewzChristopher Harborne, the party’s biggest donor, is matching the donation of £36m by Ben Delo revealed on Friday. LONDON (AP) — Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, received 72 million pounds ($97 million) from two cryptocurrency billionaires this weekend, fueling concerns about money in British politics. After news broke that Ben Delo, a co-founder of the BitMEX cryptocurrency platform, had given 36 million pounds ($48 million) to the party, crypto investor Christopher Harborne on Saturday announced he was matching the donation.
Harborne said he was backing Reform UK because he believes its policies will attract the investment Britain needs to bolster the economy and generate the revenue needed to fund healthcare, education and other public services. But established political parties quickly warned that unlimited donations from billionaire businessmen risked corrupting elections. The Liberal Democrats, currently the third-largest party in the House of Commons, called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to cap donations and protect British democracy.
“Nigel Farage wants to bring Trump’s America to our shores by buying his way into power,” Liberal Democrat spokesperson Lisa Smart said in a statement. “He’s trying to get into Number 10 as if it’s a stop on a monopoly board,” she added, referring to the prime minister’s residence.” Donations without precedent in UK politics The twin donations, tied for the biggest ever to a British political party, come after months of allegations about improper fundraising by Reform UK that have weakened its standing with voters. Police in London earlier this week opened an investigation into reports that the party violated laws prohibiting contributions from overseas donors.
President Donald Trump last year after pleading guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws, started recently moved back to the U.K. from Hong Kong, Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, Delo said his donation was designed to help break up the “cartel” that controls British politics, an apparent reference to the Labour and Conservative parties that have dominated elections for the past century. “Unlike the people who express mock concern for the health of ‘our democracy’ while doing everything they can to keep it as a cartel, I want a fair fight and a level playing field,” Delo wrote.
“My conclusion from Reform’s recent troubles is that they should spend less time trying to raise funds to compete on … Party leader, Nigel Farage, ‘humbled’ by contributions from billionaires as Harborne addresses ‘media speculation’The cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne has given £36m to Reform UK, matching a donation from fellow billionaire Ben Delo.The pledges mean Reform has received a cash injection of £72m in just 24 hours. They are jointly the largest donations made to a UK political party and have intensified calls for restrictions on funding from individual donors.
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