Reform UK announces £72 million in donations from crypto figures
Reform UK, according to AP, announced two £36 million donations from Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne. The newly announced donations are not yet listed in the available Electoral Commission register.
Reform UK donations totaling £72 million, approximately $97 million, were announced by two entrepreneurs linked to the crypto sector, according to the Associated Press. BitMEX co-founder Ben Delo and investor Christopher Harborne announced donations of £36 million each to the party.
Delo announced his donation on September 11, 2026. On September 12, Harborne said he would match Delo’s amount. This is an exceptionally large sum compared with the £5.33 million in donations Reform UK reported receiving during the entire second quarter of 2026.
Reform UK donations are intended to cover the period until the election
According to Delo, the amount corresponds to £1 million per month until the latest possible date for a UK general election in August 2029. He said he provided the money in advance.
Older donations from Delo and Harborne to Reform UK are recorded in the available Electoral Commission records. However, the two September donations of £36 million each do not appear in the quarterly register published so far. UK political parties must report donations received above the set limit to the Electoral Commission quarterly.
The absence of a new record therefore does not by itself confirm the date the funds were credited, the form of payment, or the outcome of all eligibility checks. Without a separate statement from Reform UK or the regulator, these details cannot be independently verified.
It has not been confirmed that the donations involved cryptocurrency
Although both donors are known from the crypto sector, available reports do not state that the donations were made directly in cryptocurrency. This is funding from people working in the industry, not confirmed cryptocurrency donations.
The issue comes as the UK government has announced proposals to tighten political finance rules. They include stronger scrutiny of the source of donations, a limit on contributions from overseas electors, and an immediate ban on cryptocurrency donations until transparency improves.
The Reform UK donations also do not show that they influenced the party’s policies or that they were unlawful. The eligibility of the donations and verification of their source can be assessed more precisely after the relevant data or a statement from the Electoral Commission is published.
What to watch next
- the next Electoral Commission quarterly report, including the date received and donor identities,
- any statement from the regulator on the eligibility and origin of the funds,
- the government and Parliament’s progress on proposed rules for large, overseas, and cryptocurrency political donations.
Sources
- Associated Press – Confirms the total of £72 million, two donations of £36 million each, and the sequence of the announcements.
- Electoral Commission – Explains quarterly donation reporting and lists £5.33 million in Reform UK donations for the second quarter of 2026.
- Electoral Commission – donations register – Records earlier donations from Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne to Reform UK, but not the new September amounts.
- GOV.UK – Describes the government-announced limit for overseas electors, stronger source-of-donation checks, and the ban on cryptocurrency donations.
Verified and updated: 09/13/2026 06:21
