UPDATE 2-Nigel Farage's Reform lands one of Britain's biggest ever political donations

Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party secured 9 million pounds ($12 million) from businessman Christopher Harborne in the third quarter of this year, the Electoral Commission said on Thursday, one of the largest political donations in British history.

Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party secured 9 million pounds ($12 million) from businessman Christopher Harborne in the third quarter of this year, the Electoral Commission said on Thursday, one of the largest political donations in British history. The contribution from Harborne, an aviation entrepreneur who has invested in crypto technology, was just shy of a record 10 million-pound donation to the Conservative Party in 2022. It put Reform in the top position for political donations in the third quarter, receiving a total of 10.5 million pounds.

The opposition Conservative Party was given 7 million pounds and the governing Labour Party received 2.6 million pounds, the Commission said. Reform UK, which currently commands a large lead in opinion polls, had struggled to attract political donations. But last year it launched a concerted effort to woo donors.

Farage told a press conference he had not made any promises to Harborne who was seeking "absolutely nothing in return" for the donation. The Reform leader said Harborne believes Britain had not made the most of freedoms from leaving the European Union, and felt the country was falling behind in the race to develop modern technology.

Farage also berated the BBC over its coverage of allegations that he made racist comments when at school. He has said

he "never directly racially abused anybody", denying the allegations. FARAGE HOPES TO PROFESSIONALISE PARTY BEFORE VOTE

Farage, a veteran Brexit campaigner and friend of U.S. President Donald Trump, is on a mission to professionalise the party before the next national election, due in 2029, to build on the success it racked up in local elections in May. Although Reform UK only holds five of the 650 seats in Britain's Parliament, the party hopes to triumph in another round of local elections next year, including votes for the devolved parliaments of Scotland and Wales.

There are no limits in Britain on donations to parties if they come from individuals on the UK electoral register or from UK-registered companies or organisations such as trade unions. The size of donations tends to be much smaller than in the U.S. Transparency International has called for a cap on donations, saying parties risk becoming dependent on money from a small number of wealthy donors.

Harborne held a 12% stake in crypto exchange Bitfinex, according to a 2024 Delaware court filing. Bitfinex management has ties to Tether, the world's largest stablecoin issuer, which said it made more than $10 billion of profit in the first three quarters of 2025. Despite Reform's recent electoral gains, party treasurer Nick Candy, appointed late last year, had until now failed to generate the tens of millions he promised to secure the party.

Candy, a billionaire, personally donated 490,000 pounds to Reform UK in the period, the data showed. Claudia Harmsworth, wife of the owner of Britain's right-wing Daily Mail newspaper, also gave Reform 50,000 pounds in the latest period, according to the data.

The biggest donation in British history was the 10 million pounds given to the Conservatives by businessman John Sainsbury when he died in 2022, according to the Electoral Commission's online database, which has data going back to 2001. ($1 = 0.7496 pounds)

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