Three Guardian readers respond to the disclosure that Christopher Harborne has donated £36m to Reform UK, matching an earlier gift from Ben Delo, both fortunes built on cryptocurrency. The letters argue that crypto wealth concentrates in the hands of early insiders rather than being genuinely decentralised, and warn that a party presenting itself as pro-ordinary-people is increasingly reliant on donors who profit from a system that structurally disadvantages the public. Writers also raise concerns about the source and regulation of such money, questioning what influence these donors might expect in return.

One letter highlights that Harborne holds roughly 12% of Tether, issuer of the stablecoin USDT widely used in the offshore crypto economy, noting Europol warnings that cryptocurrencies are increasingly exploited by human traffickers for payments and money laundering — an awkward link given Reform's anti-small-boats stance. Another, from Liberal Democrat peer Chris Rennard, points out that UK party-funding law caps spending only in the year before a general election, with no limits between elections or on individual donation size; he notes the Conservative government raised the pre-election spending cap from £20m to £36m in 2023, and warns the £72m combined donations could legally fund campaigning across 72 seats over two years, at £1m each.