Crypto billionaire gives Farage's Reform UK record £36 million donation

A cryptocurrency billionaire, Ben Delo, has donated a record £36 million to Reform UK, the party led by Nigel Farage. This is the largest single donation to a UK political party on record, according to Sky News. Delo, co-founder of the BitMEX cryptocurrency exchange, said he made the donation to help the party "get ready for government" and to ensure a "fair fight" with the UK's two main parties, Labour and the Conservatives.

Delo had previously donated £4 million to Reform UK in two payments in January and March. He plans to donate £1 million a month to the party until the next general election, due by mid-2029, but has "front-loaded" the donations into a single £36 million payment. Delo, who is based in Hong Kong, has previously said he will move back to the UK to continue his backing for the party. According to the BBC News, he was given an unconditional pardon by US President Donald Trump over a Bank Secrecy Act violation.

The donation comes amid scrutiny over Reform UK's financial arrangements, with police widening a criminal investigation into allegations that the party accepted illegal donations. Farage has faced months of intense scrutiny over the party's funding, Le Monde English reported. Despite this, Delo said he wanted to support the party, writing in the Daily Telegraph that he wanted a "fair fight and a level playing field".

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, Free Malaysia Today, Sky News, BBC News, CNA - Business — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.