80% of Reform donations this year came from overseas
More than £22,000,000 in donations to Reform came from abroad (Picture: Getty) Shocking new data from the Electoral Commission revealed that Reform UK’s donations have been almost entirely funded from abroad. 80% of donations to Nigel Farage’s political party were made by donors or companies based overseas. It’s a stark comparison to Labour, which received just 0.15% of its funding from overseas and the Tories, which received 3.57% of their donations from overseas since July 2025. £22,440,000 was donated to Reform by those outside of the UK, with just £7,220,000 being contributed from people based in the country.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
Metro never says who the overseas donors were. The Independent reported that most of the money came from Ben Delo, who has since moved back to the UK, and Christopher Harborne, and that other donors included a British entrepreneur living in Portugal and a UK-registered company with a British director in Italy. Without this, and alongside Phillipson's words about 'foreign influence', a reader is likely to believe foreign nationals are bankrolling Reform.
How we know
- The Independent reported“Ben Delo, who was previously based in Hong Kong but moved back to the UK earlier this year”True scale of Reform UK’s donations from overseas donors revealed (opens in a new tab)
- The Independent reported“a British entrepreneur, investor and founder of asset management firm Arbra Partners, whose Companies House profile locates him in Portugal”True scale of Reform UK’s donations from overseas donors revealed (opens in a new tab)
There is no indication of wrongdoing, but the numbers have shocked many in Westminster. Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson told the Independent: ‘The scale of Reform’s reliance on donations from wealthy overseas backers raises further questions about the party’s financial affairs. Farage and Jenrick gave a speech yesterday about how Britain is Broke (Picture: Getty) ‘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.’
She added: ‘While Farage pushes ever more extreme policies to try and distract from the sleaze and scandal engulfing Reform, this Labour government is working to strengthen our political finance laws and better protect our democracy from foreign influence.’ Earlier this month, Reform UK concluded that it did not break electoral law after senior figures were secretly filmed discussing how foreign donations could be handled. The party launched its own investigation following a Channel 4 News report which showed senior figures discussing a potential £500,000 donation from an alleged foreign donor.
Its 27-page report found no evidence that laws had been broken, but admitted that two senior figures had said things that were ‘wrong, careless and in one instance untrue’. The investigation also concluded that the £500,000 donation discussed in the footage never took place. It found that Dan Jukes, a consultant working with several clients, commissioned the polling discussed by undercover reporters, rather than Reform. Orr was criticised for suggesting nobody would discover impermissible donations and for making ‘extremely condescending’ comments about the Electoral Commission.
Jukes similarly faced criticism for describing polling arrangements as ‘clandestine’ and ‘off the books’, which the investigation said made a lawful arrangement appear suspicious. Both men were suspended after the Channel 4 report, while the Metropolitan Police is separately investigating the allegations. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.
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