Ben Delo, who was convicted in the US and later pardoned by Donald Trump, has donated millions to Nigel Farage’s party before new rules limit overseas giving
A British billionaire convicted in the United States for failing to implement adequate anti-money-laundering controls at his cryptocurrency business has donated £4 million to Reform UK.
Ben Delo, 42, who is based in Hong Kong, disclosed in the Telegraph that he had made the contribution since the start of the year. The donation comes before the government introduces a cap on political donations from British citizens living abroad.
The businessman was pardoned by former US president Donald Trump last year. He is now returning to the UK, meaning he will not be subject to the new donor rules in future. The cap could limit further contributions from Reform UK’s Thai-based donor Christopher Harborne, who has given £12 million to date.
Writing in the Telegraph, Delo said England was his home and that “the biggest obstacle to national recovery is the entrenched self-deception of our elites”.
He said he had become politically active for the first time in his life, adding: “Since the start of this year, I have donated £4m to help Nigel Farage to build Reform UK into a genuine alternative party of government.”
Delo said that as someone on the autism spectrum, he objected to what he described as the government’s “official culture” forcing “everyone to be chronically dishonest”, citing the expression of views on transgender people.
US conviction
Delo was convicted in the US in 2022 after pleading guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act. He failed to implement adequate anti-money-laundering controls at BitMEX, the cryptocurrency exchange he co-founded.
In his article, he wrote: “I helped build one of the world’s first major crypto trading platforms, fell foul of US regulators, accepted a plea bargain and a civil fine for a regulatory failing that isn’t even a crime in the UK, but then ended up being pardoned by Donald Trump, the US president, anyway.”
Delo, an Oxford graduate who describes himself as a champion of free speech, supports more than 50 organisations across the political spectrum.
Political connections
A Guardian investigation last month found Delo had provided support in kind to Rupert Lowe, an anti-migration MP challenging Farage from the right, while also connecting with mainstream figures including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and former cabinet minister Michael Gove.
The investigation, conducted jointly with Hope Not Hate, revealed that some people and projects benefiting from Delo’s funding had expressed hardline positions on immigration, nationalism and abortion.
Delo provides funding and access to a suite of rooms overlooking Westminster Abbey known as the Sanctuary. Those given access can use the facility free of charge for events, office space and podcasting.
Restore Britain, the party founded by Lowe, launched its campaign for the mass deportation of millions of migrants from a room at the Sanctuary last year.
Farage told the Telegraph: “Ben’s support will help Reform attract more of the skills and talents we need to get ready for government.
“Moreover, it is particularly gratifying to me personally, that someone like Ben, a builder and a visionary and a problem-solver, who has spent a lifetime grasping trends before other people do, sees the potential of Reform.”
