Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party collected $9.4 million (£7 million) from cryptocurrency billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo in the first quarter of 2026, a sum that surpassed the total donations received by both the Conservative and Labour parties.
Christopher Harborne, the Tether investor ranked as the UK's sixth-richest person with a net worth of $24.4 billion, donated £3 million to Reform UK on January 23. Ben Delo, co-founder of the BitMEX crypto exchange, provided £4 million across two payments in January and March.
The donations helped Reform UK raise £9.3 million in the quarter, beating the Conservatives’ £6 million and Labour’s £4.1 million. Combined, the two billionaires accounted for 28% of all political donations recorded across UK parties in Q1 2026.
Both contributions come after the UK imposed a moratorium on political donations made in cryptocurrency and capped overseas donations from British expats, following the government-commissioned Rycroft review. Reform UK was the only major British party to accept crypto donations prior to the ban, though neither Harborne nor Delo’s contributions were made in digital assets.
Campaign finance reform advocates have criticized the influx. “When a tiny number of wealthy donors can spend millions promoting the politicians and causes they favour, it's no surprise people feel politics is rigged against them,” said Olly Buston of Clean Up Westminster.
Reform UK has adopted pro-crypto policies including a strategic Bitcoin reserve and cuts to capital gains taxes on crypto. Farage himself faces a parliamentary investigation over whether he properly declared a separate £5 million gift from Harborne.