Crypto billionaire gives Reform record £36m election war chest

£36 MILLION FOR REFORM

Ben Delo, co-founder of cryptocurrency trading platform BitMEX, was already one of Reform's biggest financial backers.

Now he has delivered the party its biggest-ever donation — and potentially transformed its financial firepower ahead of the next election.

Delo said he would rather see Reform spending its time preparing for government than constantly worrying about raising money.

A HUGE WAR CHEST

The size of the donation is remarkable.

Reform has already raised around five times as much as the Conservatives and six times as much as Labour this year.

Delo had previously given the party £8 million, making him its second-biggest donor behind fellow crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.

The latest £36 million gift dwarfs the previous record political donation in Britain — a £10 million bequest to the Conservatives.

“A FAIR FIGHT”

Delo said he wanted to see a genuinely competitive election rather than what he described as a political cartel.

“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,” he told the Telegraph.

He had originally pledged to give Reform £1 million a month until the latest possible election date in 2029.

Instead, he decided to hand over the entire amount in one go, saying he wanted to prevent any future government attempt to block the donations.

READY FOR GOVERNMENT

The money is expected to be used to recruit what Reform describes as “the best brains” for its policy operation and to dramatically increase the number of campaign managers.

A senior Reform source said the donation was about “preparing for government”.

The party believes Prime Minister Andy Burnham could call an early election, although the government has given no indication that such a move is imminent.

For Farage, the timing could hardly be more useful.

He has spent much of the summer dealing with questions about Reform's finances and its donors.

Now his party suddenly has a huge financial weapon.

MORE QUESTIONS FOR FARAGE

Reform is currently under investigation by Scotland Yard over separate allegations concerning political donations.

A Channel 4 undercover investigation also alleged that two senior members of Farage's team had discussed ways of circumventing rules on foreign donations.

Reform denies any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, a separate £5 million gift from Harborne remains the subject of a parliamentary sleaze inquiry.

Farage initially said the money was intended to pay for his security for the rest of his life before later describing it as a “reward” for his years of Brexit campaigning.

LABOUR FIRES BACK

Labour wasted little time attacking the announcement.

A party spokesperson accused Farage of being “up to his neck in scandal” over the £5 million gift and the investigation into potentially illegal donations.

“Reform UK can’t buy their way out of questions about sleaze, criminal mates and dodgy finances,” Labour said.

The party demanded that Farage come clean, co-operate fully with police and answer questions about Reform's finances.

FARAGE “HUMBLED”

Farage, however, was clearly delighted.

He said he was “honoured” and “humbled” by the extraordinary donation.

And with £36 million now heading into Reform's campaign coffers, the party has something it has never had before:

A seriously powerful election war chest.

Whatever happens in the investigations, one thing is certain — Reform is no longer going to be short of money

SOURCE

more info

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v4zvyde15o

Sounds like crypto billionaires trying to buy the next general election to me he had already given reform £8 million and then there's the one in Thailand that gave Farage £5 million.

Makes me wonder just why and it wouldn't surprise me if the government doesn't bring in some sort of controls to limit donations.

3 minutes ago, Bannoi said:

Sounds like crypto billionaires trying to buy the next general election to me he had already given reform £8 million and then there's the one in Thailand that gave Farage £5 million.

Makes me wonder just why and it wouldn't surprise me if the government doesn't bring in some sort of controls to limit donations.

Probably because New Labour was always financed by the super rich Muslim businessman Lord Waheed Ali.

Reminds me of those scams where they keep getting them to send more money, in the hope of a payoff that is destined to not ever arrive.

Labout have alway's been worried about Reform and have constantlytried sleaze and fabricated evidence to erode Reforms membership they know who will defeat them come any general election. They tried bringing down Richard Tice with tactics like going into his bank details and displaying his wealth which is against the law, they then allowed a bogus company to infiltrate reform, then they went for Farage's family all dirty tricks but it did not work, the latest probe into this 5m is just another sleaze allegation as Farage said he has nothing to hide and will assist with any investigation. This is the last throw of the dice from labour. Now with the biggest donation ever to any party it will drive Labour's final nail into there Coffin.

3 minutes ago, BarraMarra said:

Labout have alway's been worried about Reform and have constantlytried sleaze and fabricated evidence to erode Reforms membership they know who will defeat them come any general election. They tried bringing down Richard Tice with tactics like going into his bank details and displaying his wealth which is against the law, they then allowed a bogus company to infiltrate reform, then they went for Farage's family all dirty tricks but it did not work, the latest probe into this 5m is just another sleaze allegation as Farage said he has nothing to hide and will assist with any investigation. This is the last throw of the dice from labour. Now with the biggest donation ever to any party it will drive Labour's final nail into there Coffin.

What was this fabricated evidence from Labour please? How did Labour get in to Tice's bank account and display details? Never heard of either of those things, they sound very made up.

Who went for Farage's family? What did they do?

Who is this "bogus company" and who allowed them to infiltrate reform?

And are you saying there should be no probe in to the £5m? Is Farage above the law? He didn't declare it. We need to know why he tried to hide it and then why he lied about it. And what was Harbourne expecting in return. We all know why he received it as he remarkably decided to run for office shortly afterwards, and coincidentally pledged to lower CGT on crypto trading which would make his secret donor millions.

Now another crypto guy donates £36m. The only other policy Reform have other than shouting at boats is lowering taxes on crypto and deregulating it.

Yeah yeah you'll now say I'm derailing the thread. I am merely asking you questions because you just spewed out a load of bogus claims with zero evidence, no links, and frankly, I say they never happened.

Ben Delo's conviction in the US.

Ben Delo was convicted in the United States in 2022 after pleading guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) by willfully failing to implement an adequate anti-money laundering (AML) program at the cryptocurrency derivatives exchange BitMEX, which he co-founded. However, he subsequently received a full, unconditional presidential pardon from Donald Trump in March 2025.

The key details surrounding his conviction, sentencing, and subsequent legal status include:

---

• The Charges: In October 2020, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) indicted Delo and his co-founders (including Arthur Hayes). Prosecutors stated that despite marketing itself as an offshore entity, BitMEX served US customers while intentionally avoiding mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) and AML protocols, effectively creating a platform vulnerable to money laundering.

• The Plea: Delo surrendered to US authorities in New York in March 2021. On 24 February 2022, he officially entered a guilty plea to a single count of violating the Bank Secrecy Act.

• Financial Penalties: As part of his plea agreement, Delo agreed to pay a $10 million criminal fine to settle the federal charges.

⚖️ Sentencing

On 15 June 2022, US District Judge John G. Koeltl sentenced Delo to 30 months of probation. Because he avoided active prison time and home confinement, his legal team initially described the outcome as a fair resolution. His probation period formally concluded on 15 December 2024.

➡️ Presidential Pardon

On 29 March 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive clemency order granting Ben Delo a full and unconditional pardon. Following the pardon, Delo publicly called the prosecution a "political" action over an antiquated regulatory law.

ben delo conviction - Google Search

Google it yourself bloggs i'll give you a big clue Channel 4 . How long before you wreck this thread ?? you just started i see. But i will give you this to dis-credit.

Media Reports: The Guardian and other news outlets published details of financial transactions, bank transfers, and loans involving Richard Tice and his companies (such as Britain Means Business and Tisun Investment). [1, 2, 3]

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by BarraMarra