Reform UK Receives Record £72 Million from Crypto Billionaires

Crypto billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo have given Reform UK £72 million in under two days, setting a new record for individual donations to a British political party. The combined total of £36 million from each donor surpasses what both the governing Labour Party and the Conservatives spent during last year's general election campaign.

Harborne, who holds stakes in stablecoin issuer Tether and cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, announced his gift in a Telegraph newspaper article, saying he expected nothing in return. He explained that Delo's previous pledge had inspired him to match it, and that the funding would allow Reform to hire around 400 campaign managers in target constituencies.

The donations have sparked controversy, with Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson arguing that Farage could not use money to escape ongoing police investigations into the party's finances. She was supported by Transparency International UK, which warned that at this rate two individuals alone could exercise decisive financial influence over British democracy before the next election.

The Metropolitan Police opened a criminal inquiry into Reform's finances earlier this month after allegations of impropriety were made in a Channel 4 undercover investigation. Both senior aides stepped down pending an internal review, but Farage and his party deny any wrongdoing.