Crypto tycoon donates record £36m to Reform UK

A cryptocurrency tycoon has given £36 million to Reform UK, the largest single donation to a British political party on record.

Ben Delo, a British billionaire who reportedly recently moved back to the UK from Hong Kong, said he had given money to ensure a “fair fight” at the polls.

The sum offers a boost to Nigel Farage’s party after a summer dominated by scrutiny of his and Reform’s finances, including an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations it breached rules on political donations.

The party leader said: “I am honoured and humbled that Ben Delo has shown such confidence in Reform.

“Ben knows that we are the only party that can turn the country around and reverse Britain’s decline.”

Mr Delo, a co-founder of cryptocurrency platform BitMEX, is now Reform’s largest donor having previously been second behind billionaire Christopher Harborne, who gave £9 million to the party last August.

Last year, he was given an unconditional pardon by US President Donald Trump over a Bank Secrecy Act violation.

Writing for the Telegraph newspaper, he said: “Unlike the people who express mock concern for the health of ‘our democracy’ while doing everything they can to keep it as a cartel, I want a fair fight and a level playing field.