REFORM UK have received a second £36 million donation after Christopher Harborne matched a record-breaking gift to the party by his fellow crypto-billionaire Ben Delo.
Harborne said he matched the largest single donation to a British political party on record as he wanted to put his money into the only part he believes can regenerate Britain.
It comes after it emerged that Delo, who is a convicted criminal in the United States but was pardoned by president Donald Trump, also donated £36m to Nigel Farage’s party.
The pledges are jointly the largest donations made to a UK party and are likely to intensify calls for a cap on political donations.
Writing in the Telegraph, Harborne said that Farage is the only party that knows how to “get our country back on the right track”.
He said: “That’s why I’m putting my money into what I believe is the only viable cause which will get the job of regeneration done. And that is Reform UK, which has the largest membership of any political party in the UK.
“My view is that Nigel Farage and the party fully understand what a government needs to do to get our country back on the right track.”
He added: “Whilst I have been making donations to Reform of around £1m a month, Ben Delo told me he was going to make a record donation of £36m.
“My competitive spirit inspired me to match it, so that is what I’ve done. And I hope others may join us.”
Both Harborne and Delo's donations have dwarfed the previous record for the largest sum given to a British political party, which was £10m to the Conservatives as a bequest in 2022.
Harborne was behind the £5m gift to Farage in 2024 before he was elected to the Commons, which has led to an investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog into the Reform UK leader.
Farage said he was “honoured and humbled” by the donations, which come at a time when Reform is facing intense scrutiny regarding its finances.
He added: “Both men know that we are the only party that can turn the country around and win the next general election – thanks to their generosity, we are now able to fight that election on a level playing field.”
Harborne said that he expects “nothing” in return from Reform and that he wants “the same as everyone else in Britain” to live “happy and productive lives”.
He said: “There will be a lot of media speculation regarding this donation. So what do I expect in return for my donations? Nothing. No peerage, no policy change, just a party that is ready for government.
“I have already accumulated enough wealth for the rest of my life. I am committed to putting that to work for Britain and humanity as a whole.
“I want the same as everyone else in Britain: for my children and grandchildren to have the chance to live happy and productive lives here and be rewarded for their hard work.
“At the next general election people will have to vote for the party that they think will best get that done and I’m making a donation very clearly to the party that I believe will do so.”
The donation means Harborne retains his position as Reform’s largest donor, having already given £9m to the party last August.
Harborne and Delo's donations come after the Metropolitan Police said it launched an investigation into £500,000 given to Reform by Fiona Cottrell, the mother of long-standing Farage ally and convicted criminal, George Cottrell.
On Wednesday the force also launched a criminal investigation into allegations that Reform breached political donation rules by having polling paid for by an overseas company.
It has been alleged that Reform took funding from a US firm for three polls it commissioned earlier this year, costing £32,500, following an undercover investigation by Verbatim that was broadcast on Channel 4.
MPs last week backed measures including a cap on overseas donations at £100,000 and a suspension of funding through cryptocurrency, but the draft legislation still needs to be passed by the House of Lords to become law.
However, backbench calls for a cap on all donations have not been successful.
