A member wears shoes in Union Flag colours during the Reform party’s annual conference at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)
LONDON (AP) — Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, received 72 million pounds ($97 million) from two cryptocurrency billionaires this weekend, fueling concerns about money in British politics.
After news broke that Ben Delo, a co-founder of the BitMEX cryptocurrency platform, had given 36 million pounds ($48 million) to the party, crypto investor Christopher Harborne on Saturday announced he was matching the donation.
Harborne said he was backing Reform UK because he believes its policies will attract the investment Britain needs to bolster the economy and generate the revenue needed to fund healthcare, education and other public services.
But established political parties quickly warned that unlimited donations from billionaire businessmen risked corrupting elections. The Liberal Democrats, currently the third-largest party in the House of Commons, called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to cap donations and protect British democracy.
