Reform UK tops political fundraising with £9.3M in donations, led by crypto investors

Reform UK raised £9.3 million in private donations in the first three months of 2026, more than double what either Labour or the Conservatives received, according to Electoral Commission figures published on June 4. The party has now led UK political fundraising for three consecutive quarters, with the bulk of the latest total coming from two cryptocurrency investors: BitMEX co-founder Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, an early backer of Tether. Delo gave up to £4 million across two payments in January and March, while Harborne contributed just over £3 million in January. Labour received £4 million, including £550,000 each from Lord David Sainsbury and Gary Lubner, while the Conservatives took in £4.2 million, including a £1.1 million donation from Mary V Doran. Total donations to registered UK parties reached £24.7 million in the quarter, up 214% from a year earlier. The figures add to scrutiny around crypto-linked political money in Britain. Harborne's cumulative donations to Reform over the past year now exceed £15 million, while Nigel Farage is also facing a Parliamentary Standards Commissioner investigation over a separate £5 million personal gift from Harborne made before the 2024 general election. The Labour government announced in March that it would impose a moratorium on cryptocurrency donations to political parties and cap overseas donor contributions at £100,000, a move that came when Reform was the only British party to have accepted crypto donations.