Reform UK's £72m crypto donors could face 'enhanced residency checks'

Reform UK's £72m crypto donors could face 'enhanced residency checks' The Government is considering tightening proposed laws after Reform UK received £72m in political donations from crypto billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, with new residency checks potentially affecting their eligibility Reform UK's crypto-billionaire backers could face tougher checks to demonstrate their continued presence in the UK as the Government mulls strengthening proposed legislation after the party secured £72 million over the weekend. Ministers have already taken steps to introduce a £100,000 ceiling on the sum of money that can be donated to political parties by anyone living abroad, which would also be enforced for the first 12 months after British expats come back to the UK. The modifications would be backdated to this March, prompting questions about whether Reform can retain the twin £36 million contributions from Ben Delo, who was living in Hong Kong, and Christopher Harborne, who was living in Thailand. But with reports suggesting both men have already come back to the country, ministers are examining how to strengthen residency requirements controlling political donations. During a parliamentary debate as part of the second reading of the Government's Representation of the People Bill in the Lords on Monday, minister Baroness Taylor said: "In addition to introducing a robust regime that ensures donors contributing above the £100,000 annual cap must demonstrate a genuine and ongoing connection to the United Kingdom, we are considering how we will strengthen the residency requirements including ensuring the length of time spent in the UK aligns with broader government policy." Government insiders revealed that an enhanced test would require donors to prove an ongoing presence in the UK, with further details set to be announced imminently, as first reported by The Times. According to the paper, Reform UK has already begun channelling the funds into expanding its workforce, including doubling its policy team from 10 to 20 staff and taking on 400 new field agents, with a new online channel also set to launch via YouTube. Existing residency requirements already apply in areas such as immigration law, welfare and taxation. HMRC, for instance, classes individuals as UK residents if they have spent 183 days a year living in the country. Earlier on Monday, Nigel Farage acknowledged that Reform UK's record-breaking financial windfall could fall foul of Government attempts to crack down on overseas donors, and hit out at moves to apply the new legislation retrospectively. Speaking to the BBC on Monday, Mr Farage said he believed the two donations were "compliant" with current legislation, but suggested they would no longer be permissible under changes proposed in the Representation of the People Bill, which has now entered committee stage. When pressed on whether Mr Delo and Mr Harborne were UK residents as of 25th March — a detail that could have a direct bearing on the validity of their donations — he said: "I'm not going to go into their particular details. "All I'm going to say is, with the law of the land as it stands, they are both compliant. Now, there is talk, and Angela Rayner was talking about this yesterday, there is talk of them retrospectively declaring donations illegally. "Well, that simply cannot be." Meanwhile, party chairman Lee Anderson hinted that a Reform government would bring in legislation to cut off union funding to Labour, should Andy Burnham's administration block the £72 million. "Let's not forget, it's up to the British public who runs this country, not Angela Rayner, not the donors, not the unions. It's up to the British public," he told GB News. "And when we do win the next general election, if they want to play silly games, then we can play them games as well and we will introduce legislation that will stop the unions funding the Labour Party. "You know what? Then game over for the Labour Party. They need to think very carefully." The Government has pledged to establish a taskforce to address the issue of "mega-donors" after MPs urged ministers to go further by imposing a blanket cap that would also cover domestic donations within its draft legislation. On Sunday, Communities Secretary Angela Rayner floated the idea that a broader cap remained on the table, expressing her desire to prevent people "being able to overpower and buy their way into democracy". S peaking at the TUC Congress on Monday, the Cabinet minister declared: "Nigel Farage's sugar daddies made their money in crypto, but there's nothing cryptic about their motives. They know full well that a Reform government will act in their interest, not the public interest."