8 hours ago
2
Who is the antheral down the record-breaking multi-million lb donation to Reform UK?
Christopher Harborne gave Nigel Farage's enactment £9m successful August, according to caller information published by the Electoral Commission. The publication ranks arsenic the largest ever azygous donation from a surviving idiosyncratic successful UK governmental history.
Born successful Britain, Mr Harborne is simply a businessman who owns respective companies, employing much than 600 radical worldwide, according to a tribunal filing dated past year.
Yet he's not nonmigratory successful the UK, and is besides a national of Thailand, wherever helium is known arsenic Chakrit Sakunkrit, and has lived and worked determination for 20 years.
Follow live: Politics latest
Nonetheless, helium has a agelong past of governmental donations to British parties.
Electoral Commission information shows helium has antecedently donated to the Conservatives, gifting them £10,000 successful May 2001, and continuing to enactment them with adjacent to £2m successful donations by October 2022.
But determination was been immoderate overlap with his backing of Reform, which archetypal received a donation from him successful April 2019, for £200,000.
He's besides donated to Mr Farage personally, giving £27,616.76 successful January truthful the Reform person could be the 2nd inauguration of Donald Trump.
He paid different £32,836 for the Reform and a subordinate of unit to alert to the US pursuing the attempted assassination of Trump successful July past year.
And helium gave 1 of the biggest donations ever made to an idiosyncratic UK person erstwhile helium backed Boris Johnson to the tune of £1m successful 2022.
He served arsenic an advisor to Mr Johnson during the erstwhile PM's travel to Kyiv successful 2023.
His latest currency injection to Reform UK breaks the erstwhile grounds for a donation from a surviving person, which was £8m from supermarket tycoon Lord David Sainsbury to the Liberal Democrats successful 2019.
The largest ever azygous donation to a UK governmental enactment was from his cousin, Lord John Sainsbury, who near much than £10.2m to the Conservatives successful 2022 successful his will.
Read more:
Labour accused of 'scandalous effort to subvert democracy'
Tory-Reform pact talks 'not happening astatine immoderate level'
Electoral Commission records amusement Mr Harborne has made astatine slightest £24.5m successful UK governmental donations since 2001.
But wherever is his wealth from?
Several of his businesses travel nether the banner of AML Global, including 1 registered successful the UK, which has a London code listed with Companies House.
AML Global is described successful a tribunal filing arsenic an planetary pitchy substance broker that works with lipid companies, and which has been awarded $39m (£29m) worthy of contracts by the US Department of Defense.
Harborne was besides an aboriginal capitalist successful Bitcoin and different cryptocurrencies.
On his LinkedIn page, the businessman further describes himself arsenic seat of Sherriff Global Group.
His illustration shows helium was educated astatine INSEAD concern school, Cambridge University, and Westminster School.
Figures from the Electoral Commission released this week amusement Reform UK reported the astir donations of immoderate enactment successful the 3rd 4th of 2025, a full of £10,526,846.
By contrast, the Conservatives reported £7,038,861 successful the aforesaid period, Labour £2,564,786, and the Liberal Democrats £2,174,712.
English (US) ·