Nick Robinson roasts Reform’s Richard Tice over crypto billionaires’ £72m donation to Reform

BBC journalist Nick Robinson took apart Reform’s Richard Tice over the party’s decision to accept £72 million in donations from two cryptocurrency billionaires, which it insists came with no strings attached.

Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo donated £36m each to the party in the space of just 24 hours at the weekend. Questions have been raised over whether the donations are legal and if they would have to be returned.

Even before the current donations to Reform, the government was already looking at tightening the rules following the Rycroft Review into foreign financial influence. The government then said it would introduce a £100,000 annual cap on donations from overseas electors.

And the rules go further than simply stopping somebody living abroad from writing an enormous cheque. They would also continue to restrict some people who return to Britain, until they have been resident here for a full calendar year.

Crucially, the government intends the new limit to apply retrospectively to donations made since 25 March this year. Donations caught by the new rules and above the limit could therefore eventually have to be returned.

BBC presenter Robinson clashed with Tice during an interview on whether Reform’s donors had been in the country long enough.

Delo has moved back to the UK from Hong Kong, while Harborne is now registered to vote in Hampshire, although it is unclear whether he still lives in Thailand.

Robinson asked Tice: “What do you think first attracted two cryptocurrency billionaires to give tens of millions of pounds to a party promising to cut their taxes, to limit regulation of their business and limit competition for them as well?”

Tice replied: “Their patriotic love for a fantastic country that is being ruined under a bunch of socialists.”

Robinson then went on to highlight how the crypto billionaires were already getting Reform to change policy in their favour: “These men who are giving £72m have already got Reform UK agreeing to lobby the Bank of England to change its policy – threatening to sack the governor because of his attitude to this – threatening to cut taxes on cryptocurrency and change the regulatory approach.

“So far from getting nothing, they’ve already got a lot from you, haven’t they?”