Nigel Farage has stated that Reform UK's two primary billionaire donors are "voters in the UK" and are legally permitted to contribute any amount of money to a political party.
Questions have surrounded the significant donations from Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne since they confirmed their contributions of £36 million each to Reform UK. Both individuals, described as crypto-currency billionaires, have resided abroad for extended periods, which would typically subject them to Labour's proposed regulations on foreign donors.
Reform's deputy leader, Richard Tice, has declined to specify when the two donors relocated to the UK. However, Mr. Farage asserted that the donations are "100 per cent compliant with the law today." He characterized the donors as "two very successful British entrepreneurs" who are "voters in the UK and, under the legislation, they are perfectly entitled to make these donations."
Labour has indicated plans to introduce legislation that would cap donations from British citizens residing abroad at £100,000 annually. Downing Street has confirmed this measure would be backdated to March 25 of the current year, requiring donors to prove a minimum of 12 months of UK residency after that date.
Records suggest that Ben Delo, who spent years in Hong Kong, has been registered to vote at a property in Oxfordshire since 2022. Christopher Harborne, who resided in Thailand for years, has reportedly been registered to vote in Hampshire intermittently since 2020. Last year, he was registered in a constituency where he owns property, under a category that can include overseas voters. Reports indicate Mr. Harborne updated his voter registration in June of this year, though he may not have been registered in the UK in 2021 or 2024.
Conservative frontbencher Baroness O'Neill had previously stated that it was her understanding these donations would fall under the overseas contributors cap. Mr. Farage defended the donations, vowing to contest any attempts by Labour to block them. He suggested that rival parties are concerned about the potential for these donations to "level the playing field" in the upcoming election. Farage noted that Reform UK spent £5.5 million in the 2024 general election, compared to £30 million by Labour and £23 million by the Conservatives.
Downing Street confirmed that Cabinet Office minister Louise Haigh has requested the Electoral Commission review spending limits. Ms. Haigh stated that the current election spending limit of £34 million is "too high, and ought to be reduced."