The sheer hypocrisy.
A video has resurfaced online of Reform’s current Deputy Chair, Richard Tice, complaining about foreign based donors giving funds to political parties, after Nigel Farage’s outfit accepted a £9 million donation from a Thai-based crypto billionaire, leading to charges of hypocrisy.
Publication of the Electoral Commission’s latest register of donors reveals that Reform were given a £9,000,000 donation by Christopher Harborne, their largest single donation ever, and the largest donation ever from a living donor.
Harborne, the Thai-based crypto billionaire, is believed to have made the biggest donation given to a party by a living person, leading to concern among democracy campaigners about his influence. He has also donated to the Tories under Boris Johnson and bankrolled Brexit.
A video from 2018 shows Richard Tice complaining about philanthropist George Soros donating to UK organisations.
Tice said at the time: “He doesn’t live here, he doesn’t pay taxes here, what right has he got to interfere with our democracy and try and overthrow the government?”
Of course, there’s been no such protests from Tice regarding Harborne’s donation.
The sheer hypocrisy.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.