Nigel Farage's Reform UK has received the largest single donation from a living person in British political history, according to newly released official figures. The party was handed a staggering £9 million in cash on 1 August by former Brexit Party backer Christopher Harborne.
A Historic Injection of Funds
The monumental contribution from Harborne, a leading investor in cryptocurrency, defence, and aviation fuel who resides in Thailand, propelled Reform UK's total donations for the third quarter to £10.5 million. This sum, recorded between July and the end of September, made Farage's party the most funded political group in the country for that period.
This landmark gift eclipses all other contemporary donations. The Conservative Party received just under £7 million in the same timeframe, while Labour attracted £2.5 million. The Liberal Democrats' donations totalled just over £2 million.
The Donor's Political History
Christopher Harborne is not a new figure in UK political finance. His support for causes aligned with Nigel Farage and Brexit has been consistent. Prior to this record-breaking donation, he had given £1 million to the office of Boris Johnson after the former Prime Minister left Downing Street and accompanied him on a trip to Ukraine.
Earlier this year, in January, Harborne also provided £28,000 to the Reform UK leader to facilitate his attendance at Donald Trump's presidential inauguration. This pattern of high-value support underscores a significant and ongoing financial relationship.
Context and Reaction to the Figures
The only larger single donation in UK history was the £10 million bequeathed to the Conservative Party in the will of Lord Sainsbury in 2022. The latest figures reveal a substantial surge in overall political funding compared to last year. Between July and September 2024, parties collectively received £10 million, a figure dwarfed by the most recent quarter's totals.
Other notable donations in this period included a £1 million gift to the Conservatives from tech entrepreneur Jeremy Elliott San. Labour's biggest donor was the Unite union, contributing £362,625, while the Liberal Democrats' largest contribution was £50,000 from Neale A Powell-Cook.
Commenting on the publication of the data, Jackie Killeen, Director of Electoral Administration and Regulation at the Electoral Commission, highlighted the system's transparency. "The UK political finance system has high levels of transparency, and we know that voters are interested in where parties get their money from," she said.
Killeen also referenced proposed government reforms, stating they "have the potential to improve the strength of donation controls and help ensure voters can have confidence in the political finance system." The Commission pledged to continue working with the Government to ensure any changes are evidence-based and practical.
