Reform UK raising millions more than other parties, donation figures show

Reform UK is raising millions more than the other political parties from private donations, bringing in £9m largely from cryptocurrency billionaires in the first three months of the year. Nigel Farage’s party took a £3m donation from the cryptocurrency and aviation investor, Christopher Harborne, who is a British-Thai dual citizen, and £4m from the cryptocurrency entrepreneur Ben Delo, who is relocating to the UK from Hong Kong. Between them, the pair’s donations account for a third of all private money flowing into politics in the first quarter. Reform’s fundraising far outstripped Labour and the Conservatives , which each raised about £4m from private donations. The party’s donation from Thailand-based Harborne brings his total donations to £15m in the last year, while Delo is a first-time donor to the party. The party also secured £1m in donations from David Grainger, an investor in health and longevity. Another new donor is Navroz Udwadia, the co-founder of an investment firm called New Wave Global, while a company owned by Reform’s leader on South Tyneside council, Paul Mackings, donated £111,000. The Conservatives’ coffers were boosted by £1.1m from a donor called Mary V Doran, while Labour’s biggest contributors were regular donors David Sainsbury and Gary Lubner, as well as the major trade unions. …