Reform UK receives 75% of Q1 2026 donations from crypto industry figures

Two figures with deep ties to the cryptocurrency industry accounted for three-quarters of Reform UK’s declared private donations in the first quarter of 2026, a funding dynamic that has no real parallel in modern British politics. Ben Delo, co-founder of the derivatives exchange BitMEX, contributed £4 million across two payments. Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based investor linked to both Tether and Bitfinex, added another £3 million. Together, their £7 million represented 75% of the £9.3 million Reform UK reported receiving from private donors during the period. The numbers in context Reform UK’s haul didn’t just stand out internally. The £7 million from Delo and Harborne alone represented roughly 28% of all reported political donations to UK parties that quarter. Delo’s money arrived in two equal tranches: £2 million in January and £2 million in March. Harborne’s £3 million landed on January 23. Electoral Commission records confirm every pound was transferred in fiat currency, not digital assets. For Harborne, this wasn’t a new relationship. His cumulative contributions to Reform UK between late 2025 and early 2026 sit somewhere between £12 million and £15 million, making him ...