Record donations for Reform UK: crypto entrepreneurs transfer millions

According to a media report, the right-wing populist British party Reform UK is receiving record donations amounting to millions twice. First, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Ben Delo donated 36 million pounds (around 42 million euros), the largest single sum to a political party in Great Britain since records began. In the afternoon, another crypto entrepreneur announced that he wanted to transfer the same amount.

His “sporting ambition” spurred him on, said Christopher Harborne, who had previously donated millions to Reform UK, to the newspaper “The Telegraph”. The donation is “a philanthropic gift to our country.”

How should the donation amounts be classified?

The two individual donations are by far the largest ever recorded in Great Britain. The British Electoral Commission publishes reported party donations quarterly. So far, the ten million pounds (11.7 million euros) from Lord John Sainsbury to the Conservatives in September 2023 was a record. Harborne had already transferred nine million pounds (10.5 million euros) to reform in August 2025.

For comparison: In Germany, the Union left all other parties represented in the Bundestag behind in the 2025 election year. The CDU and CSU together raised almost 7.9 million euros in donations. The SPD received 2.3 million euros, the Greens received almost 1.2 million and the Left received 300,000 euros. In Germany, sums of 35,000 euros or more are considered large donations and must be reported to the President of the Bundestag.

What impact do the donations have?

Crypto entrepreneur Delo told the Telegraph that he donated the £36 million to ensure a “fair fight” in the elections. A new parliament in the United Kingdom is not scheduled to be elected again until 2029. Reform had been clearly ahead in surveys in recent months, but has recently lost this lead again.

"My conclusion from Reform's recent problems is that they should spend less time raising money to compete on a level playing field and more time preparing to govern," Delo said, according to the Telegraph. Reform leader Nigel Farage told the newspaper he was “honored” by the donor’s trust.

Accusations of donations also against the party leader

Reform has hit the headlines several times in recent weeks due to alleged donation scandals. Police are investigating allegations raised in an investigative investigation that suggest senior party officials attempted to conceal donations from foreign sources. There are strict rules for accepting money in Great Britain.

A parliamentary investigation is also underway against Farage after he received a cash gift of five million pounds (5.8 million euros) from Harborn in 2024 and did not declare it. The former Brexit campaigner says that it was not a donation, but a personal gift with no strings attached.