{"id":45740,"date":"2025-12-04T11:35:23","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T11:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/04\/christopher-harborne-makes-record-donation-to-reform-uk-ahead-of-2026-local-elections\/"},"modified":"2025-12-04T11:35:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T11:35:23","slug":"christopher-harborne-makes-record-donation-to-reform-uk-ahead-of-2026-local-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/04\/christopher-harborne-makes-record-donation-to-reform-uk-ahead-of-2026-local-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Christopher Harborne makes record donation to Reform UK ahead of 2026 local elections"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nigel Farage\u2019s Reform UK has received its largest-ever donation, with businessman Christopher Harborne handing the party \u00a39 million in August, according to new Electoral Commission filings.<\/p>\n

The contribution, one of the biggest by a living person to a British political party, arrives ahead of crucial local and national assembly elections scheduled for May next year.<\/p>\n

Who is Christopher Harborne, and what are his political affiliations?<\/h2>\n

Harborne, a British-born investor now based in Thailand, has a long history of political giving across the right-of-centre spectrum.<\/p>\n

Between 2001 and 2022, he donated nearly \u00a32 million to the Conservative Party, particularly during Boris Johnson\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

He was also a significant backer of the Brexit Party, Reform UK\u2019s predecessor, contributing heavily in 2019 and 2020.<\/p>\n

His latest gift marks the largest political donation on record from a living individual, surpassing sums typically seen in peacetime British politics.<\/p>\n

Only Lord Sainsbury\u2019s \u00a310 million bequest to the Conservatives in 2023 exceeds it.<\/p>\n

Harborne, who chairs Sherriff Global Group, built his wealth in aviation fuel distribution through AML Global Ltd.<\/p>\n

His business interests span financial services and early cryptocurrency investments, including stakes in the companies behind Tether and the Bitfinex exchange.<\/p>\n

He also holds shares in the defence technology firm QinetiQ.<\/p>\n

A former ally of Boris Johnson, Harborne travelled with the then prime minister to Ukraine and previously gifted him \u00a31 million after he left office.<\/p>\n

His support for Farage underscores shifting donor allegiances on the British right.<\/p>\n

Reform outpaces major parties in fundraising<\/h2>\n

The latest Electoral Commission data shows political parties collectively raised \u00a324 million in the third quarter of this year,<\/a> more than double the \u00a310 million recorded during the same period in 2023.<\/p>\n

With elections approaching, parties are rapidly strengthening their financial positions.<\/p>\n

Reform UK reported raising \u00a310.5 million over the period \u2014 nearly matching the combined total of the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats.<\/p>\n

The Conservatives collected \u00a37 million, Labour \u00a32.56 million, and the Lib Dems \u00a32.17 million.<\/p>\n

The Green Party reported \u00a3371,753 in donations, reflecting figures mostly predating the leadership of Zack Polanski.<\/p>\n

Reform also received \u00a3500,000 from property developer Nick Candy, another former Conservative donor who defected to Farage\u2019s movement last year.<\/p>\n

Rising funding fuels speculation of a Conservative\u2013Reform pact<\/h2>\n

The influx of high-profile Conservative donors has reignited reports of conversations about a possible electoral pact between the Tories and Reform UK ahead of the next general election in 2029.<\/p>\n

The Financial Times reported that Nigel Farage discussed such an arrangement with party backers, though both sides have publicly denied any deal is being considered.<\/p>\n

Polling continues to underscore Reform\u2019s growing momentum.<\/p>\n

The latest More in Common survey places Farage\u2019s party on 30%, with the Conservatives and Labour tied on 21% each and the Greens trailing behind.<\/p>\n

As financial and political pressure intensifies, Reform\u2019s surge in funding \u2014 and the heavyweight donors behind it \u2014 is reshaping the dynamics of Britain\u2019s right-wing politics ahead of a pivotal electoral year.<\/p>\n

The post Christopher Harborne makes record donation to Reform UK ahead of 2026 local elections<\/a> appeared first on Invezz<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nigel Farage\u2019s Reform UK has received its largest-ever donation, with businessman Christopher Harborne handing the party \u00a39 million in August, according to new Electoral Commission filings. The contribution, one of the biggest by a living person to a British political party, arrives ahead of crucial local and national assembly elections scheduled for May next year. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45740","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-investing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45740\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}