# True scale of Reform UK’s donations from overseas donors revealed

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/true-scale-of-reform-uks-donations-from-overseas-donors-revealed/
- Published: 2026-10-27T06:02:59+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T06:53:51+00:00
- Original publisher: The Independent (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-donations-foreign-donors-harborne-delo-crypto-b3066689.html
- Topics: Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- Nearly four-fifths of Reform UK donations came from recently overseas-based donors.
- Two later donations of £36m each were outside the analysis period.
- The government is considering tighter residency rules for political donations.

## Summary

An analysis of Electoral Commission data found that 79.41 per cent of donations received by Reform UK in 2025-26 came from people or companies based abroad in the previous two years. The figure is far higher than the shares reported for Labour and the Conservatives, and has prompted renewed scrutiny of overseas influence in British political funding.

The analysis includes £8m from Ben Delo and £15m from Christopher Harborne, but excludes their later donations of £36m each because those fell outside the period examined. Other donors cited include executives and companies with links to Hong Kong, Dubai, Portugal and Italy. There is no suggestion of illegal activity; the government is considering tighter residency rules, including a proposed £100,000 cap on donations from British citizens living overseas and during their first year after returning.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.