Reform UK in Great Britain: Right-wing party receives huge donation

dpa/afp | According to a media report, the right-wing populist British party Reform UK has received a record donation of millions. The 36 million pounds (around 42 million euros) from a cryptocurrency entrepreneur is the largest single donation to a political party in the UK since records began. Reform leader Nigel Farage told the Daily Telegraph newspaper he was “honoured” by the donor’s trust.

“I want a fair fight and a level playing field,” billionaire Ben Delo, who donated the amount, told the Daily Telegraph. Delo is a co-founder of the cryptocurrency platform BitMEX. Others are only superficially concerned about the health of democracy in Britain, “while doing everything they can to ensure it remains a cartel.” With his donation – the largest in British party history – he also wanted to help Reform UK “prepare to govern,” said the 42-year-old.

With the £36 million donation, Delo pulverizes the highest single donation to a party in British history. The previous record was set last year by another crypto billionaire, Christopher Harborne, who donated nine million pounds - also to Reform UK.

Ben Delo, currently based in Hong Kong, pleaded guilty in the United States in 2022 to violating a bank secrecy law. But he was pardoned by US President Donald Trump last year. Delo donated a total of four million pounds to Reform UK in January and March.

The right-wing populist party Reform UK had been leading the polls in Great Britain since last year. In view of several financial scandals, Reform UK has recently fallen behind the ruling Labor Party. The replacement of Keir Starmer by Andy Burnham at the top of the party and government in July also breathed new life into Labour. The next general election in Great Britain is scheduled to take place in the summer of 2029.

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) 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.