Crypto investor Christopher Harborne donates record £9 million to Reform UK, marking the largest ever single donation by a living person to a British political party. This substantial contribution comes ahead of local elections in May, as Reform UK has been consistently leading in national opinion polls since spring. Mr. Harborne's donation surpasses the previous record of £8 million donated by supermarket tycoon Lord David Sainsbury to the Liberal Democrats in 2019. His cousin, Lord John Sainsbury, left a substantial £10 million to the Conservatives in his will in 2022. Mr. Harborne's businesses, AML Global and Sherriff Group, are closely tied to the aviation industry, particularly private aircraft. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a supporter of cryptocurrency, announced in May that his party would be the first in the UK to accept donations in Bitcoin, though Mr. Harborne's donation was not in cryptocurrency. Mr. Harborne emphasizes his non-expectations from the donation, stating he has not promised anything in return. The Electoral Commission's latest figures reveal that Reform UK received over £10.2 million in donations between July and September, surpassing the Conservatives' £4.6 million, Labour's £2.1 million, and the Liberal Democrats' £1 million. The next largest donation during this period was £1 million from games programmer and tech entrepreneur Jeremy Elliott San to the Conservatives. Labour's largest donor was the Unite union with £362,625, while the Liberal Democrats received £50,000 from Neale Powell-Cook, a food supply company owner. This is the first quarter since the last general election where Reform has outpaced the Conservatives in donations. A Reform UK spokesman celebrates the party's progress, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch attributes the Tories' higher overall donations to a consistent trend. Liberal Democrat spokesperson Lisa Smart expresses concern over the influence of large donations on election fairness.
