Overseas donors account for 80% of Reform UK’s 2025-26 funding
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Data from the Electoral Commission show that three-quarters of Reform UK’s donations in the 2025-26 period came from individuals or companies that were based abroad, far exceeding the share received by Labour and the Conservatives.
The Electoral Commission’s latest filing reveals that 79.4% of Reform UK’s donations in the 2025-26 financial year were received from donors or companies that had been based overseas in the previous two years. By comparison, Labour and the Conservatives recorded 0.15% and 3.57% respectively from foreign-based contributors during the same period.
Two record-breaking gifts of £36 million each were made to the party last month by cryptocurrency investors Ben Delo, formerly based in Hong Kong, and Christopher Harborne, who was residing in Thailand. These contributions fall outside the reporting window used for the analysis.
Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson said the scale of Reform’s reliance on overseas backers “raises further questions about the party’s financial affairs.” She added that the public “deserves to know exactly who is bankrolling Nigel Farage’s party, what interests these donors are seeking to advance, and whether those interests align with the priorities of the British people.”
The government is reviewing residency rules for political donations and has proposed a £100,000 cap on contributions from British citizens living abroad, applicable for the first year after they return to the UK. A spokesperson for the prime minister’s office said the measures are intended to ensure that large donors have a genuine stake in the country, not to target Reform UK specifically.
Reform UK has faced scrutiny after a sting operation by Channel 4 and the investigative group Verbatim suggested senior party figures discussed ways to conceal foreign donations. The party’s internal inquiry concluded that no electoral law was breached, and Reform UK has not responded to requests for comment.