Reform UK Receives Record £72 Million in Donations from Crypto Billionaires
12 sources across 6 countries
Who reported this
- The Guardian
- The Independent
- BBC News
- Financial Times
- Sky News
- Der Spiegel
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- Associated Press
- Bloomberg
- Politico Europe
- South China Morning Post
- El Pais
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
Reform UK has received two separate donations of £36 million each from cryptocurrency investors Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne. The combined £72 million total, raised within a 48 hour period, marks the largest single donations to a political party in British history. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, stated that the funds would allow the party to fight the next general election on a level playing field and enable the hiring of up to 400 campaign managers in target constituencies. Both donors stated in the Telegraph that they expect nothing personally in return for their contributions, such as peerages or policy changes, but instead want a party that is ready for government.
The donations arrive as Reform UK faces several legal and regulatory challenges. The Metropolitan Police is investigating the party following reports that aides may have suggested ways to secure illegal foreign donations. Additionally, Nigel Farage is under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner regarding an undeclared £5 million gift from Christopher Harborne. Farage has argued that the gift was purely private and unrelated to his political activities. Ben Delo, who was pardoned by Donald Trump last year following a guilty plea to anti money laundering law breaches at his platform BitMEX, noted that his donation was intended to ensure a fair fight between parties.
Outlets with a center left lean framed the event as a threat to democracy, with some citing concerns that mega donations could distort British politics or that Farage is attempting to buy his way out of scandal. In contrast, center right outlets focused on the record breaking nature of the sums and the donors' stated goal of breaking the traditional two party system. Center outlets generally reported the financial figures and the ongoing police investigations as neutral facts of the situation.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Framed the donations as a threat to democratic integrity and a means for the party to evade accountability for scandals.
- Centre
- Focused on the record breaking financial figures and the factual details of the ongoing investigations.
- Centre-right
- Highlighted the donors' desire to challenge the political establishment and create a more competitive electoral field.
Sources
- Centre Associated Press: Crypto billionaires give $97 million to Reform UK, fueling concerns about money in politics - AP News
- Centre BBC News: Reform receives second £36m donation in two days as crypto investor matches record
- Centre Bloomberg: Farage’s Reform Raises Record £72 Million in Less Than 24 Hours
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Great Britain: Record donations for British right wing party Reform UK
- Centre-left El Pais: The ultra Farage receives 42 million from a crypto businessman, the largest individual donation in the history of the United Kingdom
- Centre Financial Times: Reform UK receives two record £36mn donations
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Reform UK: Farage rushes toward new donation records
- Centre Politico Europe: Farage’s Reform UK gets two £36m donations from crypto billionaires
- Centre Sky News: Who are Reform UK's two mega-donors?
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Farage’s Reform UK gets second record £36 million donation in 48 hours
- Centre-left The Guardian: Christopher Harborne matches £36m Reform donation of Ben Delo
- Centre-left The Independent: Farage’s Reform UK secures second £36m donation from cryptocurrency tycoon in two days
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.