LONDON — Ben Delo donated £36m to Reform UK and Christopher Harborne donated £36m to Reform UK, forming a combined total of £72m from the two cryptocurrency billionaires. The Metropolitan Police are investigating Reform UK for potential violations of laws prohibiting contributions from overseas donors.

The £36 million donation from Delo is reportedly the largest single donation to a British political party in history. This contribution represents an increase from the £8m Delo previously donated to Reform UK since the start of the year. Christopher Harborne also increased his support, giving £36m after reportedly giving £9 million to Reform UK last year.

Delo is a cryptocurrency billionaire and co-founder of BitMEX. He was convicted in the US in 2022 for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls at BitMEX. Donald Trump pardoned Delo on 2025-03-27. Delo recently returned to the UK from Hong Kong.

Christopher Harborne is a cryptocurrency billionaire who is based in Thailand but is electorally registered in the UK. Harborne previously gave a £5m gift to Nigel Farage. Nigel Farage failed to declare the £5m gift from Christopher Harborne upon entering parliament. The parliamentary standards watchdog is investigating Nigel Farage for a potential breach of MPs’ rules regarding the undeclared £5m gift.

Channel 4 News broadcast undercover footage showing senior Reform UK officials discussing ways to avoid electoral laws on foreign donations. Dan Jukes, Nigel Farage’s chief of staff, has been suspended from Reform UK. James Orr, Reform UK’s head of policy, has been suspended from the party. Reform UK denies any wrongdoing regarding the allegations of avoiding electoral laws on foreign donations.

Why It Matters

The combined £72m contribution from Delo and Harborne exceeds the £64.8m in total political donations in the UK in 2025, according to the Electoral Commission. Draft legislation backed by MPs includes a cap on overseas donations at £100,000 and a suspension of funding through cryptocurrency. Reform UK currently holds eight seats in the House of Commons and won 1,453 seats on local government councils in England in earlier elections this year. The party controls twenty-six local councils.

Timeline

Delo was convicted in the US in 2022 for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls at BitMEX. Donald Trump pardoned Delo on 2025-03-27. Total political donations in the UK in 2025 were £64.8m, according to the Electoral Commission, as of 2025-12-31.

What's New

Nigel Farage stated: "I am honoured and humbled that Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne have shown such confidence in Reform." Christopher Harborne stated: "There will be a lot of media speculation regarding this donation. So what do I expect in return for my donations? Nothing. No peerage, no policy change, just a party that is ready for government." Christopher Harborne gave £9 million to Reform UK last year.

Delo stated in a Telegraph article: "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." Liberal Democrat spokesperson Lisa Smart stated: "Nigel Farage wants to bring Trump’s America to our shores by buying his way into power." Delo previously donated £8m to Reform UK since the start of the year.

How Sources Differ

Regarding Christopher Harborne, Nigel Farage stated: "I am honoured and humbled that Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne have shown such confidence in Reform." The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner investigation file indicates Nigel Farage failed to declare the £5m gift from Christopher Harborne upon entering parliament.