A company associated with Todd Boehly, the co-owner of Chelsea Football Club, has donated £75,000 (approximately $92,000 USD) to Nigel Farage's Reform UK party. The donation was made by Eldridge Capital Management Services (UK), according to data released by the Electoral Commission, the UK's independent body for regulating political finance.
Boehly, an American businessman who led the consortium that acquired Chelsea in 2022, is the CEO, co-founder, chairman, and controlling member of Eldridge Industries, a Miami-based holding company. Eldridge Capital Management is a division of Eldridge, an asset management and insurance firm owned by Eldridge Industries. The Financial Times has reported that Boehly is the ultimate owner of Eldridge Capital Management Services (UK) and is listed as a former director.
Recent filings with the Electoral Commission show that Eldridge Capital Management Services (UK) made the £75,000 contribution to Reform UK. Tony Minella, Boehly's co-founder at Eldridge, is listed among the current directors of the company. Boehly has an estimated net worth of $9.3 billion (£6.9 billion) and has a history of political donations, often supporting right-wing politicians and parties, including Donald Trump and other Republican candidates.
In the three-month period leading up to June, Reform UK reportedly received the largest amount of political donations among UK parties, totaling £5.3 million. For comparison, the Labour party received £3.6 million, the Conservatives £2.8 million, and the Liberal Democrats £1.4 million during the same period.