Richard Tice has complained that he is not an "executive assistant" to Reform UK's mega donors after being questioned on whether their £72 million donations comply with the rules. The Reform UK deputy leader insisted the two £36 million donations from crypto billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne are within current rules, as well as incoming law changes. However, he struggled to provide specific details or evidence to back this up in a radio interview on Monday.
Donations under scrutiny
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner on Sunday signalled Reform could be forced to hand back the cash if it falls foul of new rules. A change to the law, currently going through Parliament, will impose a £100,000 cap on donations from Britons living overseas. Both men are British but have spent time abroad – with Mr Delo previously living in Hong Kong and Mr Harborne based in Thailand.
Ms Rayner said the rules change will be backdated to March, but it is unclear when the pair moved to Britain and whether their donations would be caught in the new rules. Mr Tice on Monday insisted their donations are allowed under the new rules but could not say when each man moved to Britain. He told BBC Radio 4: "Everything we're doing is in accordance with the existing rules and the rules of the legislation that's going through Parliament as we speak."
Tax details and timing
But Reform's business spokesman could not say when Mr Harborne moved to the UK and whether he pays UK taxes on foreign earnings. Mr Tice said: "Well, I'm not his tax adviser, so I don't know all of his tax details, of course. But he's a highly successful entrepreneur who invests in the UK, and we should embrace that success."
Pressed again on when he moved here, Mr Tice added: "I'm not familiar with every day of every week that these individuals spend in the country. We just know that they have complied with the rules and regulations, both existing and proposed." Asked when Mr Delo moved to the UK, Mr Tice again did not have a specific date. "I understand he moved back here many, many months ago," he said. "But again, you know, I'm not their executive assistant responsible for day-to-day diaries."
Calls for a cap
The record-breaking £72 million sum given by the pair has renewed calls for a cap on all donations from Britons, no matter whether someone is living in Britain or abroad. Peers could choose to amend the Representation of the People Bill, which is currently going through the House of Lords. Labour peer Lord Wills is expected to raise the issue of a donations cap when the legislation is debated in the Lords on Monday afternoon.
Labour MP Stella Creasy tabled an amendment to the bill to prevent donors from giving more than £100,000 in a single year, but it was not debated in the Commons. Instead, the Government said it would set up a taskforce to look at mega-donors. On Sunday, Ms Rayner told Sky News: "We need to have secure elections that are for the people, and that you can’t buy your way into our democracy. And that’s why the Rycroft Review was set up, and we’ve already taken action against overseas donations, which will be backdated for when Rycroft published [March 25]."
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak told reporters on Sunday: "I think they are going to cause a crisis in our democracy." He said there was no comparison between a care worker or someone working in a car plant giving a few pounds a year to a union, which lobbies openly for its members. Mr Nowak said: "I don't know what's driving Christopher Harborne or [Ben] Delo in making those donations. I suspect it's not the welfare of workers or our public services, or tackling climate change, or reindustrialising the country."
"I don't think it's a surprise or a shock that both of them are crypto billionaires and the one set of policies Reform does seem to have fully worked out is about de-regulating crypto." He added: "The public will say what does he want for his £36 million? Is he doing just because he's a nice fella?"
