Reform UK given record £36m donation from crypto billionaire Ben Delo

Sky News reported that Reform UK has received a £36 million donation from Ben Delo, described as a crypto billionaire. The donation was described as a record £36 million gift to Reform UK, underlining the potential importance of private funding to political parties and election activity.

Delo is widely known as a co-founder of BitMEX, a cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform. Cryptocurrency is a digital-asset sector that has become increasingly visible in debates about finance, technology and regulation. The reported donation links a prominent figure from that industry with one of the United Kingdom’s political parties.

Political donations are an important part of party financing, because they can support campaigning, staffing, research and other organisational activity. In the UK, political parties and donors operate within a legal framework for donations and transparency, with reporting requirements designed to make significant funding visible to the public. Sky News’ report places the size and source of this donation at the centre of the story. It therefore adds a crypto-industry dimension to discussion of political finance. The donation’s scale is central to the report itself.