Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has stated that two significant donations totaling £72 million are fully compliant with the law as it stands, while acknowledging they might be affected by proposed legislative changes. Ministers are currently considering legislation that would impose an annual cap of £100,000 on donations from British expatriates, with a proposed backdating measure to March 25, 2026.
Farage criticized the potential for retrospective legislation, arguing that past donations should not be declared illegal. He also suggested that if such a rule were enacted, a future Reform UK government might retaliate by limiting trade union donations. This stance was met with criticism from trade union leaders.
The two donations, each for £36 million, came from businessmen Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, both British nationals who have lived abroad but recently returned to the UK. These contributions are reportedly the largest in British political history.
Speaking to the BBC, Farage asserted that there was "no question" the donations were within the legal framework. When pressed on whether the donors resided in the UK by the March 25 deadline for the proposed cap, Farage declined to provide specific details about their residency status.
He voiced strong opposition to the government's attempts to retroactively invalidate donations, stating, "This cannot be." Farage warned that allowing such a precedent could lead to retaliatory measures against trade union donations, potentially causing the political funding system to collapse and leading to taxpayer-funded political parties, a prospect he believes the public would oppose.
The House of Lords is currently debating the Representation of the People Bill, which aims to cap overseas British citizens' donations to political parties at £100,000 annually. The bill also proposes a one-year waiting period for individuals returning to the UK before they can donate more than this amount. Donors must have been registered as residing in the UK by March 25, 2026, to be exempt from the cap.
It remains unclear precisely when Delo and Harborne returned to the United Kingdom. Government ministers have expressed concerns about the influence of significant financial contributions, particularly those potentially originating from overseas, on political discourse. These proposed rule changes were reportedly prompted by a report on foreign interference in British politics.
The substantial donations to Reform UK have amplified concerns about the funding of political campaigns. Figures from other parties have called for stricter regulations on campaign finance, emphasizing the need to prevent excessive financial influence in politics.