Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based aviation and cryptocurrency investor, has donated an additional £3 million to Reform UK, adding to his record £9 million contribution last summer. The latest gift brings the party's total donations in the last quarter of 2025 to £5.5 million, outstripping all other political parties.
The donations come as Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, tops opinion polls for over a year. The party is building its war chest ahead of May elections, where Farage aims to make gains in Wales and across England. Other notable donors include JC Bamford Excavators, traditionally a Conservative donor, which gave £200,000 to both Reform and the Tories.
The scale of Harborne's donations, alongside the £20 million given by Frank Hester to the Conservatives before the 2024 election, has renewed calls from MPs and campaigners for a cap on political donations. Several Labour select committee chairs are also pushing for a ban on cryptocurrency donations.
In contrast, the Conservatives raised £4 million in donations, the Liberal Democrats over £2 million, and Labour nearly £2 million. The Green Party, which won a byelection in February, received only £290,000, while Your Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, got £670,000.
Jackie Killeen, director of regulation at the Electoral Commission, noted that almost £65 million in donations was accepted by political parties in 2025. She highlighted the need for reforms to strengthen donation controls, as proposed in the government's representation of the people bill.
