Christopher Harborne, a prominent cryptocurrency investor, has given £9 million to Reform UK, the party led by Nigel Farage. The donation, revealed by the Electoral Commission, is the largest ever from a living donor to a UK political party. Harborne, who also has interests in defence and aviation fuel, made the gift in cash rather than digital currency, despite Reform becoming the first UK party to accept crypto donations earlier this year.
The record-breaking sum has prompted renewed calls from campaign groups, including Spotlight on Corruption and Transparency International, for a cap on political donations. The Electoral Commission data showed that Reform received over £10 million in total during the latest quarter, surpassing the Conservatives (£7 million) and Labour (£2.5 million). Other notable donations to Reform included £50,000 from Claudia Rothermere, wife of Daily Mail owner Jonathan Rothermere, and £490,000 from former Tory donor Nick Candy.
Harborne, who describes himself as intensely private, previously donated more than £10 million to Farage's Brexit Party in 2019. He also gave £1 million to Boris Johnson's office after Johnson left Downing Street and accompanied him on a trip to Ukraine. Harborne has a stake in defence firm Qinetiq and aviation fuel producer AML Global, and was an early backer of the cryptocurrency Tether, which has been linked to illicit use in Ukraine, though there is no suggestion of his involvement in wrongdoing.
Jackie Killeen, director of regulation at the Electoral Commission, said the figures highlight the need for reform: “We know there are parts of the system that need strengthening, and we have been calling for changes to the law for some time.” Rose Zussman of Transparency International UK added: “This record-breaking donation shows how dependent our political parties have become on a super-rich few. The government should introduce a cap on how much anyone can give annually.”
