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United Kingdom political party Reform UK has received a record 9 million British pounds (about $12 million) donation from early crypto investor Christopher Harborne.
The sum is the largest single political gift ever made by a living person in Britain and comes months before local elections scheduled for May, the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c30j8r034y8o" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">reported</a> on Thursday, citing newly published figures from the Electoral Commission.
Harborne, a British national now based in Thailand, has a history of backing UK political campaigns. He previously donated to the Conservatives under Boris Johnson and to the Brexit Party, later rebranded as Reform UK, during the 2019–2020 cycle, per the report.
The donation breaks the previous individual record of $10.7 million <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/02/27/lord-sainsbury-gave-biggest-political-donation-history-lib-dems/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">given</a> by supermarket heir Lord David Sainsbury to the Liberal Democrats in 2019.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/uk-crypto-tax-reform-no-gain-no-loss-defi-lending-liquidity-pools" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">UK takes ‘meaningful step forward’ with proposed DeFi tax overhaul</a>
<h2 id="harborne-s-crypto-ties">Harborne’s crypto ties</h2>
Harborne, a self-described “digital nomad,” is also known for his crypto investments. He <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/only-4-people-controlled-tether-holdings-as-of-2018-report" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">holds a nearly 13% stake</a> of Tether, the company behind the USDt (<a href="/tether-price-index" rel="noopener noreferrer">USDT</a>) stablecoin, a position linked to compensation tied to a 2016 hack at Bitfinex. He said he holds no executive role at either firm.
Last year, Harborne <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/wsj-faces-defamation-lawsuit-tether-bitfinex-article" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">filed a defamation lawsuit</a> against The Wall Street Journal over a 2023 article that accused him of allegedly abetting illegal activities at Tether and Bitfinex. He said the media wrongly accused him of “committing fraud, laundering money, and financing terrorists.”
The article claimed Bitfinex struggled to keep access to banking services in late 2018 and turned to intermediaries and shell companies, citing internal documents. Parts referencing Harborne were later removed.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/uk-fca-eunice-crypto-disclosure-sandbox-roadmap" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">FCA trials crypto transparency templates as UK shapes new rulebook</a>
<h2 id="uk-weighs-ban-on-crypto-political-donations">UK weighs ban on crypto political donations</h2>
The record donation comes as the <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/uk-considers-ban-crypto-donations-reform-uk-farage" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">UK is considering banning</a> crypto donations to political parties. The proposal is reportedly being discussed as part of a new Elections Bill aimed at strengthening trust in politics and tightening campaign financing rules.
Reform UK this year became the first party to <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/uk-reform-party-crypto-donations-nigel-farage" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">accept crypto donations</a>. The party is leading in polls, topping opinion polls at around 27% nationally, well ahead of Labour and the Conservatives, both of which trail below 20%.
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 <img alt="Crypto investor gives Reform UK record $12M in election donation" src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-12/019ae942-0f03-77da-b8e3-824b16732556" title="">
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 Reform UK leads in polls. Source:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="https://www.politico.eu/europe-poll-of-polls/united-kingdom/">Politico</a>
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Magazine:<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/2026-pragmatic-privacy-crypto-canton-zcash-ethereum-foundation/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> 2026 is the year of pragmatic privacy in crypto — Canton, Zcash and more</a>

Crypto investor gives Reform UK record $12M in election donation

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