Nigel Farage’s Reform UK received another major financial boost in November 2025, securing a £3 million ($4 million) donation from Thailand-based crypto investor Christopher Harborne, the Financial Times reported Thursday.
Harborne, an aviation entrepreneur and early crypto supporter, had already contributed $12 million to the party in August 2025 — the largest single political donation made by a living individual in the UK. The latest contribution further strengthens his role as one of Reform UK’s biggest backers.
The additional funding helped place Reform UK at the top of Britain’s political fundraising race. The party raised around $18 million in 2025, surpassing the Conservatives with $17 million and the ruling Labour Party with $10 million, according to the Financial Times.
Harborne, a British national who has long lived in Thailand and also goes by Chakrit Sakunkrit, built his fortune in aviation and early cryptocurrency investments. He holds roughly a 13% stake in Tether, the issuer of the USDt stablecoin, through compensation linked to the 2016 Bitfinex hack.
Before backing Reform UK, Harborne donated to the Conservative Party during Boris Johnson’s leadership and contributed about $13 million to Farage’s Brexit Party between 2019 and 2020, making him one of the most influential financial supporters of right-wing politics in Britain.
Reform UK also became the first British political party to officially accept Bitcoin and other crypto donations following Farage’s announcement at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas. The party has pledged to introduce a “Cryptoassets and Digital Finance Bill” if it wins the next UK general election, expected before August 2029.
The party’s growing financial support comes as the UK government considers stricter rules around crypto donations in politics.
Under a proposed Elections Bill, ministers are reviewing options that could include banning cryptocurrency donations altogether, increasing disclosure requirements, and tightening oversight of shell companies and other entities often used to route political funding.
Calls for restrictions have also intensified in Parliament. Matt Western, chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, urged the government to consider a temporary ban on crypto political donations and proposed rules requiring digital assets used in donations to be converted into fiat currency within 48 hours.
The concerns reflect growing worries among lawmakers, security officials and anti-corruption groups that large and difficult-to-trace crypto fortunes could potentially be used to funnel foreign influence or undisclosed funding into British politics.
