The record-smashing donation to the former prime minister by Christopher Harborne followed a $610,000 donation to Conservatives shortly before a major pro-crypto policy shift.
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Former U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson just received a $1.2 million political donation from a crypto investor reported to have been a shareholder in the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, sister company of USDT stablecoin issuer Tether.
The Nov. 21 donation by Thailand-based crypto investor Christopher Harborne, a round £1 million, went to the personal office of Johnson, now a Conservative party MP representing Uxbridge and South Ruislip. It was the largest-ever donation to a politician, according to Tom Larkin, a Sky News producer. He tweeted:
"It's smashed the previous record by x6 — a £150k donation to Michael Gove in 2009."
Under U.K. Electoral Commission rules, donations can be given "with the intention that it is used or benefits you in connection with your political activities as an MP."
The campaign disclosure filing also lists a payment of more than £250,000 ($305,000) for a Dec. 13 speech to Singapore-based Layer 1 blockchain developer ParallelChain Labs.
Among other investments, Harborne owned shares in Digifinex, the parent of Bitfinex, according to crypto news site Protos.
Nor is it the first eye-popping donation to the Tories by Harborne, who was reportedly also one of the largest pro-Brexit donors.
In February, he donated £500,000 to the Conservative Party, two months before it announced ambitions to "see stablecoins recognised as a valid form of payment as part of wider plans to make Britain a global hub for cryptoasset technology and investment."
The timing raised eyebrows, with Labour shadow economic secretary Tulip Siddiq calling the donation "a shocking revelation," the Financial News reported. She added:
"Instead of protecting the public by properly regulating the crypto market, it appears the Conservatives have been looking after the interests of their wealthy donors."
A Conservative Party spokesperson told the Financial News that there was no connection between the donation and the policy shift.
