In Britain, Reform UK prepares for a court battle over £72m in donations
In the United Kingdom, Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is preparing for a possible legal dispute with the Labour government over £72 million in donations from two crypto billionaires. A party spokesperson said that Reform UK would continue spending the funds, although planned legislative changes could make the contributions impermissible.
As Politico Europe reports, Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo each donated £36 million to the party. Farage said only that the contributions were “100% compliant with current legislation,” but Reform UK has not specified when the two donors registered in the United Kingdom.
Planned restriction
The government plans to set a £100,000 limit on donations from donors abroad. The changes are intended to apply retroactively from March 25, 2026, when an independent review proposed such a restriction because of the difficulty of tracking the origin of funds arriving from overseas.
Under the government’s plan, people who registered in the United Kingdom after that date would be subject to the restrictions at least until 2028. Without a legal challenge, the publication writes, Reform UK would likely have to return the donations from Delo and Harborne.
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In April, Delo said that he would return from Hong Kong to continue making full-scale donations to Reform UK. Harborne, who is based in Thailand, registered on the United Kingdom’s electoral register only in June, according to Politico Europe.
Possible court appeal
One of Reform UK’s advisers believes that a case over the retroactive application of the rule could reach the European Court of Human Rights. Former Conservative attorney general Michael Ellis suggested that Article 7 of the European Convention on Human Rights could be used to challenge the changes.
Some Labour MPs fear that court proceedings would allow Reform UK to advance the claim that it is being pressured by the political establishment. Officials are also considering strengthening checks on donors’ residency and a possible requirement to pay taxes in the United Kingdom, but work on these options is still ongoing.
