Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has secured a combined £72 million (~$72 million) in donations after British cryptocurrency entrepreneur Christopher Harborne matched a historic £36 million (~$48.7 million) donation from Ben Delo last week.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has received another record-breaking £36 million (~$48.7 million) donation. 📺 DETAIL: On Saturday, it was revealed that Christopher Harborne, a British cryptocurrency entrepreneur, had donated £36 million to the party, matching a donation made by another British cryptocurrency entrepreneur, Ben Delo, shortly before. Harborne has donated to Reform in the past, including a record-breaking £9 million (~$12.1 million) donation and a £5 million (~$6.7 million) gift to cover Farage’s personal security costs. The latter contribution has become the subject of a weaponized probe against Farage, culminating in the Reform leader’s decision to resign from Parliament in protest in order to contest a by-election (special election), which he comfortably won, demonstrating local voters’ continued support for him. “Reform is effectively a start-up party. And start-up parties don’t have the benefit of hundreds of years of patronage, which has created deep roots within our communities and institutions. The established parties receive substantial public money and repeated donations and support through these deep roots,” wrote Harborne in an op-ed published over the weekend. Harborne clarified that he was not seeking a political position or specific policies in exchange for the donation. “A start-up party needs more money than can be provided by membership fees alone, to build and sustain itself and be ready for government. Whilst I have been making donations to Reform of around £1m a month, Ben Delo told me he was going to make a record donation of £36m. My competitive spirit inspired me to match it, so that is what I’ve done. And I hope others may join us,” Harborne explained. 🎯 IMPACT: The size of the donation is likely to trigger further attempts by the Labour Party-controlled government to cut off Reform’s financial backing, having already imposed a £100,000 (~$135,000) cap on party donations from British expatriates. The policy was widely regarded as an attempt to prevent Harborne and Delo, who were based in Thailand and Hong Kong, from donating to the party, although they have since relocated to Britain. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “I am honoured and humbled that Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne have shown such confidence in Reform. Both men know that we are the only party that can turn the country around and win the next General Election – thanks to their generosity, we are now able to fight that election on a level playing field.” – Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader. |
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