Crypto Investor Donates $12M to UK's Reform Party

A cryptocurrency investor has made a donation of 9 million pounds ($12 million) to U.K. political party Reform, according to a filing by the Electoral Commission on Thursday.

The donation by Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based entrepreneur who has invested in stablecoin issuer Tether and crypto exchange Bitfinex, according to a Financial Times report, has been described by various outlets as the single biggest donation to a U.K. political party by a living person. The outright record of 10 million pounds was a donation by Lord John Sainsbury to the Conservative party in his will in 2022.

Harborne previously donated to Reform, led by Nigel Farage in 2019, when it was called the Brexit Party, and has also donated to the Conservatives over the years.

The donation meant Reform received more in donations than any other U.K. party in the third quarter of 2025.

Nigel Farage, whose party has led the polls for much of this year, has attempted to court the crypto vote by accepting donations in cryptocurrency and vowing to establish a bitcoin BTC$92,444.98 reserve if electing to government.

Harborne's donation was in cash, not crypto.