Farage Defends £72m Donations as 'Compliant with Law' Despite Government Push for Caps

11:07 AM ETDeveloping

Politics Desk

In Short: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has defended two £36m donations from British expats, stating they are '100% compliant with the law today'.

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has defended two £36m donations from British expats, stating they are "100% compliant with the law today," according to the BBC. The donations, the largest in British political history, come as the government seeks to impose a £100,000 annual cap on donations from expats, backdated to March 2026.

Speaking to the BBC, Farage argued that the government should not retrospectively declare donations illegal, warning that such a move would "collapse" the political funding system and force taxpayers to fund political parties. He threatened to retaliate by limiting trade union donations if elected Prime Minister.

The donations, which will allow Reform UK to "catch up with the other big parties" and "professionalise," have sparked controversy. TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady called Reform UK a "party for sale," while the Trade Unions Congress held its annual conference on the same day. Unite union leader Sharon Graham called for a cap between £500,000 and £1m on individual donations by UK residents.

Conservative shadow foreign secretary Tom Tugendhat warned against an "Americanisation of politics" where money "runs free," while Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart called for emergency legislation to cap campaign donations and spending. The debate over political funding caps has intensified following the Reform UK donations, with the government set to debate changes to the law.

What's still developing

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said two big donations given to his party are "100% compliant with the law today", but was not able say whether they would be permissible if a rule change, currently being debated in Parliament, were passed.
Over the weekend, Reform announced that it had received two donations of £36m each from wealthy businessmen Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, who are both British but have until recently lived abroad.
Speaking to Matt Chorley on Radio 5 Live, Sir Philip said examining domestic donations had not been within the remit of his review but that there was a case for capping all donations, whether they came from British citizens living in the UK or overseas.
Asked if the two men had influence over Reform's policy on cryptocurrency, Farage said he had shown them his party's paper on the subject and they both "thought it made sense".
Donations law changes to be debated after Reform's £72m windfall Will record donations to Reform go down as a moment of political change?
Mr Farage and his allies have noted that the donations would merely put the party on a level playing field with the two main establishment parties, both of which have raised considerably more money throughout the recent past, and thus have been able to invest in local campaign infrastructure that has shielded them from serious challenge to their political power.

Sources

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