Reform UK receives £72m in crypto donations as proposed donation-cap law sparks return fears

The man who once helped Richard ‘Dirty’ Desmond save a load of tax was wheeled out to face Laura KuenssbergYou wait years for one party donation of £36m and then two come along at once. Reform can hardly believe its luck. All hail the crypto billionaires. Tacky pale turquoise suits all round. And Nigel Farage won’t have to worry about spending any of his own money – if you can call the £5m freebie his own money – on his security. Nor do those champagne and oysters lunches to discuss loose change donations of £500K from people living overseas pay for themselves. From now on Reform won’t need to bother getting out of bed for anything less than eight figures.Fair to say that if it had been Labour or the Tories trousering £72m from Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo then Reform would be on full outrage rampage. How the political system was rigged against it and how the two main parties are hotwired cash machines. In bed with the super-rich. But since the money is heading towards its own bank account, everyone in the party is totally chilled. This is just the way life ought to be. Who wouldn’t want a country where two billionaires can attempt to buy the democratic process? Continue reading...

Nigel Farage has said he is “humbled and honoured” to receive the money.Reform UK could be forced to hand back some of the £72 million the party has received from two crypto billionaires, it has emerged.Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne have given the party £36m each in the past 48 hours.Party leader Nigel Farage said he was “humbled and honoured” that the pair had made the donations.But housing secretary Angela Rayner has suggested that a new law capping donations form foreign donors at £100,000 could see Reform having to return some of the pair’s money.The proposed reforms are based on the recommendations of a review by former civil servant Philip Rycroft.Although Delo is understood to have returned from Hong Kong to live in the UK earlier this year, Harborne is still based in Thailand.Rayner told BBC1’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that the new law would be “retrospective”, meaning it would cover donations fro foreign donors dating back to March.That could see Reform forced to hand back almost all of Harborne’s £36m.Rayner said: “With the retrospective action, anyone that’s received donations that don’t comply with what was in the Rycroft review ... would have 60 days to return that money.”But Robert Jenrick, Reform’s economic spokesman, dismissed Rayner’s remarks.He said: “These two donations are entirely in line with the law as it is, and as far as we know, the law as it’s going to be in the future.”Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Reform UK Receive £36 Million From Crypto Billionaire Who Gave Farage £5m GiftCrypto Billionaire Pardoned By Donald Trump Gives Reform UK £36 MillionPolice Probes, Sting Ops And Hecklers: Why Reform UK's Fightback Failed

Robert Jenrick is Reform’s shadow Treasury spokesman.Laura Kuenssberg delivered a brutal reality check to Robert Jenrick about one of Reform UK’s crypto billionaire backers.Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne gave the party £36 million each in the last 48 hours.Reform leader Nigel Farage said he was “honoured and humbled” to receive the huge sums of cash.But critics pointed out that Delo has only recently returned to live in the UK from Hong Kong, while Harborne is still based in Thailand, even though he is registered to vote in Britain.Jenrick, who is Reform’s shadow Treasury spokesman, was quizzed about the party’s decision to accept the donations on BBC1’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.The presenter asked him: “Is it healthy for any political party to have such a huge proportion of its funding, such an injection of cash, from two men from the same industry?”Jenrick replied: “Firstly, Christopher Harborne has many different business interests as I understand them, it’s not just simply this one.“These are two people who are patriotic Brits, they love this country, they are worried that it’s in a mess and slipping away.”But Kuenssberg told him: “One of them lives in Thailand.”Ignoring her comment, Jenrick went on: “They’ve obviously lost faith in the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, they see Reform and Nigel in particular as this country’s last, best hope.”On the same programme, shadow housing secretary Angela Rayner suggested Reform may have to give some of the money back under a draft law currently going through parliament which would cap donations from people living overseas.Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...Reform UK Receive £36 Million From Crypto Billionaire Who Gave Farage £5m GiftCrypto Billionaire Pardoned By Donald Trump Gives Reform UK £36 MillionPolice Probes, Sting Ops And Hecklers: Why Reform UK's Fightback Failed