Ben Delo says his donation is about a fair fight and a level playing field
Ben DeloCo-founder of BitMEX and donor to Reform UK, writing in the Daily Telegraph
Announcing his 36 million pound donation in a Daily Telegraph article, Delo contrasted himself with people he said express mock concern for democracy while keeping it a cartel, and said Reform should spend less time raising money and more time preparing for government.
“Unlike the people who express mock concern for the health of 'our democracy' while doing everything they can to keep it as a cartel, I want a fair fight and a level playing field. ... My conclusion from Reform's recent troubles is that they should spend less time trying to raise funds to compete on equal terms and more time preparing for government.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Reform UK accepts record 72 million pounds from two crypto billionaires as critics call for a donations cap
Reform UK accepted two donations of 36 million pounds each in September 2026. Ben Delo, a co-founder of the crypto trading platform BitMEX, announced his gift on September 11, and Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based cryptocurrency investor, matched it the next day. According to the BBC, they are the largest sums a UK political party has received since donations had to be declared in 2001. Party leader Nigel Farage called the money an investment in democratic renewal that levels the playing field with Labour and the Conservatives, and Harborne said he expects nothing in return. Trades Union Congress general secretary Paul Nowak called Reform a party for sale and the donations a crisis for democracy, and a Labour cabinet minister, Liberal Democrats and a transparency campaigner criticized the donations or called for limits. The dispute is whether Reform was right to accept the money.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
BBC News report on Ben Delo's 36 million pound donation to Reform UK. It quotes the article Delo wrote for the Daily Telegraph announcing the gift, and describes the investigations Reform and Nigel Farage faced at the time.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
According to the BBC, Delo had planned to give Reform 1 million pounds a month until the latest date of the next general election in 2029, and decided to give the whole sum at once in case the government moved to limit large donations.
After the quotation
The BBC report notes that Reform was under scrutiny over its finances at the time, including a police investigation announced that week into allegations that it broke foreign funding laws. The party denied wrongdoing.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Reform UK's acceptance of the two 36 million pound donations from Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne in September 2026. Defended or excused: Delo, one of the two donors, presents his gift as giving Reform a fair fight and a level playing field, and describes those who object as wanting to keep democracy a cartel. The closest competing label is Challenged characterization; it loses because he argues for the donation rather than only disputing how others describe it.
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“How dare they try to compare money from a couple of crypto billionaires to union members’ subs? The most highly regulated political funding we can have ... It couldn’t be more different from a couple of offshore billionaires trying to buy our democracy.”Read statement
Boris Johnson objects to a cap but questions the crypto donors' motives
“Just because some people want to support one party very generously, Labour kicks up a huge fuss and says they’re going to cap donations ... The problem with Reform … whatever the motives of these guys, these crypto kings, in funding Reform with squillions. I wonder whether they want Reform to be pro-crypto”Read statement
Nigel Farage calls the 72 million pounds an investment in democratic renewal
“The donations of Mr Harborne and Mr Delo help to level a playing field that has always been tilted against any genuine challenge to the two-party duopoly. ... It must also be said that neither Christopher Harborne, nor Ben Delo, nor any other donor to Reform UK will receive a knighthood or a peerage in return for their donations. The cash-for-peerages scandals that have disgraced successive governments must be consigned to the dustbin of history. This money is an investment in democratic renewal, pure and simple.”Read statement
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- Ben Delo says his donation is about a fair fight and a level playing field
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The Dispute Index. "Ben Delo says his donation is about a fair fight and a level playing field". First published: 2026-10-14. Last updated: 2026-10-14. https://disputeindex.com/events/5678-announcing-his-36-million-pound-donation-in-a