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Two crypto billionaires have handed Britain’s Reform UK party a record-breaking sum of money over the course of the weekend. Ben Delo, a co-founder of the crypto exchange BitMEX, and crypto investor Christopher Harborne donated £36 million, or $48 million, to the party, bringing the total amount raised to $97 million in two days.
Donors say they want a “level playing field”
Delo said his donation was to help Reform compete fairly with the country’s more established political parties. He said his gift was to help break up what he called the “cartel” that has controlled British politics for decades, WSJ reported.
“Unlike the people who express mock concern for the health of ‘our democracy’ while doing everything they can to keep it as a cartel, I want a fair fight and a level playing field,” Delo wrote. “We should spend less time trying to raise funds to compete on equal terms and more time preparing for government.”
Harborne, who had already given the party £9 million in August, said he was inspired to match Delo’s donation after seeing it announced the day before. He described his donation as a “philanthropic gift” to the country, adding that Reform needed the money because it lacked the financial freedom that older parties rely on.
“I have already accumulated enough wealth for the rest of my life,” he wrote. “I am now committed to putting that to work for Britain and humanity as a whole.” He added that he expected nothing in return, “no peerage, no policy change, just a party that is ready for government.”
Reform leader Nigel Farage welcomed the donations in saying both men wanted nothing in return.
Since 2010, the established parties have taken nearly £1 billion in donations, and handed out dozens of peerages in return.
In their first year, Labour handed out £138 million of government contracts to their donors. The Tories are just as bad.
You know what Ben Delo and…
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) September 12, 2026
Donations dwarf what other parties raised all year
The size of the gifts stands out even by the standards of British political fundraising. All UK political parties combined raised about £65 million in donations and membership fees in the whole of last year, the Electoral Commission data showed.
The two crypto donations exceed that total. Labour brought in £47 million last year, the Conservatives raised £27 million, and Reform saw just £22 million.
Delo said the size of his gift was calculated to work out to about £1 million a month until the latest possible date for the next general election in 2029. The billionaire, however, chose to give the total amount upfront in case lawmakers introduce limits on political donations before then.
Reform under police investigation on party finances
The party is currently under scrutiny over its fundraising practices. London’s Metropolitan Police opened an investigation into claims that the party accepted illegal donations from foreign backers.
This came after an undercover investigation by Channel 4 News suggested senior party figures were discussing how to hide the source of some contributions.
Two senior aides to Farage have been suspended from the party while an internal probe continues. Farage is also facing an inquiry from Parliament’s standards regulator over a £5 million gift from Harborne that he did not report before becoming a member of Parliament. He shared that the money was a personal gift unrelated to politics.
Source:: Two Crypto Billionaires Donate Record $97M to U.K.'s Reform Party