# Reform official doubted legality of huge donations

> James Orr raised questions about whether billionaire backers' gifts would be legal under new rules, three months before they gave £72m to Reform UK.
- Title: Reform official doubted legality of huge donations | Shortify
- Summary: James Orr raised questions about whether billionaire backers' gifts would be legal under new rules, three months before they gave £72m to Reform UK. A senior…
- Keywords: reform uk, james orr, christopher harborne, ben delo, party funding, political donations, channel 4, verbatim, news, world, Reform, official
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/20/senior-reform-official-cast-doubt-legality-huge-donations-james-orr
- Published: 2026-10-20T18:40:15+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: reform uk, james orr, christopher harborne, ben delo, party funding, political donations, channel 4, verbatim, news, world
## Reform official questions donation legality
James Orr, Reform UK's head of policy, raised doubts about whether major donations from billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo would be legal under proposed new foreign donor caps.
## Undercover footage from July this year
Orr made the comments to an undercover reporter posing as a potential donor in footage captured by investigative group Verbatim in July this year, three months before the donations.
## The donations in question
Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo each gave thirty six million pounds to Reform UK, totalling seventy two million pounds. The party maintains both donations are legal.
## New law limits overseas donors
The proposed law will limit overseas donors to giving one hundred thousand pounds a year to a political party. It applies to donations made after March twenty twenty-six.
## Orr's concerns about Ben Delo
Orr said Delo would probably meet the residency test unless required to be a tax resident, in which case he would be stuffed. Delo has long been resident in Hong Kong.

> in which case he would be "stuffed"
## Orr's concerns about Christopher Harborne
Orr said Harborne was probably more of a challenge. He noted that if Harborne moved back to the UK, he cannot do anything for twelve months after moving back.

> probably more of a challenge
## Orr discusses filling the war chest
Orr told the undercover reporter the party was filling the war chest in anticipation of tougher donation rules, describing it as the establishment trying to kneecap the party.

> filling the war chest in anticipation of something quite brutal
## Orr plans legal challenge
Orr said Reform would challenge the new law in the courts through judicial review, calling it a retrospective law which is unheard of.

> a retrospective law, which is unheard of
## Orr suspended after Channel 4 broadcast
Orr was suspended as Reform's head of policy last month after Channel 4 broadcast undercover footage in which he appeared to discuss ways to get around funding laws.
## Investigation and denials continue
The matter is under police investigation. Reform released its own report clearing Orr and another official of wrongdoing. Orr denies wrongdoing and dismissed Verbatim as politically motivated.
## Key takeaway

A senior Reform UK official expressed doubts about the legality of major donations from billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo under proposed new foreign donor caps, months before they gave the party seventy two million pounds.