Reform gets record £72m donation

Crypto billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne gave Reform UK the largest donation to any UK political party since 2001. Farage says it puts his party on equal footing with Labour and the Conservatives.

“The £72m lavished last week on his party by the crypto billionaire donors Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne finally places Reform UK on a level playing field with its political rivals.”

Farage plans 400 campaign managers

The party will use the money to hire 400 campaign managers in target constituencies across Britain. The goal is to put Reform on a war footing for the next three years.

Activists question the strategy

Grassroots members are unhappy, saying Reform needs more volunteers to knock on doors, not managers. One former candidate asked where the volunteer doorknockers would come from.

“We need more activists to knock on doors NOT managers”

Hiring spree already underway

Reform is advertising over 60 roles this week, including 47 full-time campaign managers, branch coordinators, a call centre manager, and social media staff for TikTok content.

Concerns about existing volunteers

Party members worry that new managers will displace elected branch campaign managers and that Reform may need to pay volunteers too, not just the managers.

“Those campaign managers will rapidly learn that they can't get nearly enough volunteers to do that.”

Leadership defends the spending

A Reform source says the money covers essential running costs like office rent and supplies, and that the party will continue fundraising from members. They dismiss complaints as inevitable.

Risk of losing grassroots identity

Some activists fear rapid professionalisation could damage Reform's appeal as an insurgent movement. Previous splits have happened over similar tensions.

More donations likely coming

Reform is now outpacing Labour and the Conservatives in donations. The party expects more funding as it prepares for byelections and local elections next year.