A crypto billionaire has donated over £22 million to Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, making it uniquely dependent on a single benefactor. Christopher Harborne, who also goes by the Thai name Chakrit Sakunkrit, gave £9 million in August alone—the largest single donation from a living donor in British political history—followed by another £3 million in November.
Harborne, an intensely private individual, has not publicly explained his motives. Farage claimed in December that Harborne wants nothing in return, simply believing that Brexit has not been fully exploited and that the UK should embrace 21st-century technologies, particularly cryptocurrency.
Harborne's wealth stems from early investments in digital tokens and his ownership stake in Tether, the company behind the world's most traded stablecoin. Registered in El Salvador, Tether has issued $184 billion in stablecoins, which are used for legitimate cross-border transfers but also by criminals and sanctions-busters.
Farage has become a vocal advocate for Tether and the crypto industry, calling on London to become a global trading hub. He criticised the Bank of England's proposed cap on stablecoin ownership, describing it as 'out of touch' and 'dinosaur-like'. With Harborne's cash, Reform UK is now the bookmakers' favourite to win the most seats at the next general election.
