Trump-Linked Crypto Investor Pledges Record £36m To Reform UK

By Staff, Agencies

British crypto investor Ben Delo said Friday he will donate a record £36 million [$48.7 million] to Reform UK, giving the populist party £1 million a month ahead of the next national election to help prepare for government.

Delo, the British co-founder of crypto platform BitMEX, was convicted in the US of a Bank Secrecy Act violation and later pardoned by US President Donald Trump. He said his donation was intended to help ensure a “fair fight” with Labour and the Conservatives.

Reform, led by veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, had maintained a strong lead in opinion polls for more than a year but has recently seen support decline amid allegations surrounding political donations.

Writing in the Telegraph, Delo said Reform should focus less on fundraising and more on preparing to govern, arguing that developing policies and legislation requires both time and money.

He did not directly address an undercover investigation earlier this month alleging that two senior Farage aides broke electoral law by arranging for a foreign donor to fund political polling. Farage suspended both aides but welcomed Delo’s donation, saying he was “honoured and humbled” by the investor’s confidence in Reform.

Delo has previously donated £8 million to the party. His latest pledge would more than triple the previous record political donation in Britain: the £10 million left to the Conservatives by businessman John Sainsbury, according to Electoral Commission data.

Delo said he understood the pressure faced by organizations operating under scrutiny and wanted to support a party he believed could “win and govern.”

He added that successful businesspeople may be reluctant to financially support Reform because of concerns about their reputations.