Christopher Harborne, the billionaire crypto businessman and major Reform UK donor, has pledged £36 million to the party in a move prompted by a donation of the same size from fellow cryptocurrency entrepreneur Ben Delo.
Mr Harborne, whose fortune is estimated at £18.2 billion, is the richest British-born billionaire on this year’s Sunday Times Rich List. His latest contribution matches what has been described as a record donation to Reform from Mr Delo.
Explaining his decision, Mr Harborne said: “Whilst I have been making donations to Reform of around £1m a month, Ben Delo told me he was going to make a record donation of £36million. My competitive spirit inspired me to match it, so that is what I have done.”
He also urged other wealthy supporters of the cryptocurrency industry to contribute, writing: “I hope others may join us.”
The donation adds to at least £25 million that Mr Harborne has previously given to Reform and its predecessor, the Brexit Party, according to Donation Watch. A separate £5 million payment to Reform leader Nigel Farage before the 2024 general election has also been disputed.
Mr Farage has said that sum was a personal gift to help with his security. The donation, made in April 2024 before he was elected as the MP for Clacton, is being examined by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner over whether it should have been formally declared.
Mr Farage has rejected suggestions that Mr Harborne’s financial support is intended to secure influence over the party. He has said the donor wants “absolutely nothing” in return, but believes Britain has failed to make the most of Brexit and needs to embrace 21st-century technologies.
Who is Christopher Harborne?
Mr Harborne, 63, was born in Yorkshire into an affluent family and educated at Westminster before studying engineering at Downing College, Cambridge. He is understood to have worked for management consultancy McKinsey and companies including PepsiCo before establishing himself in the Far East.
He has lived in Thailand for several decades and owns a wellness retreat there. He became a Thai citizen in 2011, taking the Thai name Chakrit Sakunkrit, which means “the watchful one”.
He is known for keeping his private life closely guarded. It is not publicly known whether he is married or has children, and he has kept away from social media.
His business career began with companies involved in private aircraft and jet fuel before he moved into cryptocurrency. He first bought digital tokens and later invested in crypto mining.
Mr Harborne now owns 12 per cent of Tether, the El Salvador-based stablecoin company, making him its largest individual shareholder. Tether operates USDT, the world’s biggest stablecoin, which is backed by hard currency and is used as a link between more volatile cryptocurrencies and conventional finance.
His support for Reform follows an earlier period of donations to the Conservative Party, including £1 million to former prime minister Boris Johnson’s company after Mr Johnson left office.
The businessman has also been involved in a serious aviation incident. In 2008, he narrowly escaped death when the light aircraft he was flying crashed into a couple’s home in Hampshire.
Mr Farage has described him as “an ardent supporter who is deeply concerned for my safety”. The Reform leader has also argued that Britain should become a global trading centre for cryptocurrency and stablecoins.
In explaining his latest donation, Mr Harborne said Britain needed to regenerate after more than a decade of decline and that stronger economic performance was necessary to fund healthcare, education and social care. He said he was backing Reform because he believed it was “the only viable cause” capable of delivering that regeneration.
