MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: Farage should use his £72million windfall to help professionalise Reform
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As The Mail on Sunday reports, Nigel Farage’s Reform Party now have some very serious money indeed, £36million from Ben Delo and now a matching £36million from Christopher Harborne.
Suddenly Britain has a third party which can fight on equal terms with Labour and the Tories. The effect is likely to be considerable.
Reform can now spend large sums each month on campaigning and preparation, just as their competitors do. And they will have a bulging treasure chest when the General Election comes. The game has completely changed.
There will be many different reactions to these enormous donations. Some voters will be perturbed by their sources – many find it hard to warm to the crypto-currency sector. Some will be astounded at the sheer quantity of money.
Perhaps those who deplore these large gifts should consider involving themselves – as British people used to do – in grassroots activity, giving time and money in small but effective amounts and so making billionaire rich uncles unnecessary. Others will simply wonder what this development will do to British politics.
Mr Delo says he is seeking above all to create a level playing field. Let us take him at his word, for as long as he sticks to this excellent principle.
Political campaign finance is a tricky issue, the original sin of politics. It saddles its recipients with apparent obligations to their supporters. It fills their opponents with resentment and suspicion. Some even suggest we should avoid it by introducing state funding for political parties.
But it is surely wrong to nationalise politics, at the expense of taxpayers who may not support any of the parties who then receive the money – and certainly don’t support all of them.
Nigel Farage's Reform Party have received £36million in donations from Ben Delo and now a matching £36million from Christopher Harborne
Political power in this country should not be reserved for the two heritage parties which have ancient elaborate mechanisms to keep money coming in from trades unions or businessmen.
The two party, first-past-the-post system works well only when it reflects the real divisions in the country, not when the big parties get too close to each other and important opinions are pushed to the edges.
The Brexit referendum cut through the old consensus like a welder’s torch and showed clearly that there was a huge army of voters who, given the chance, would desert the big parties.
So there is a good, practical and just argument for big donors who are ready to defy this duopoly, provided they do not start to behave as if they have bought Reform UK.
Mr Farage’s best response is to use the money to professionalise his currently rather amateur movement, most especially in planning for government and creating lasting organisations on the ground.
It is a wonderful opportunity to marginalise the spivs, chancers and jokers who invariably hang around new political movements hoping to benefit themselves. We have long urged the Right in British politics to unite against Labour and this is now even more clearly the best course.
Armoured with cash, Reform are now in a position to do serious damage to Labour in seats where the Tories cannot nowadays make much impact.
These gifts might just have changed the course of British politics for the better. Let us hope so.
- READ MORE: Reform secures ANOTHER £36million donation less than 24 hours after getting £36m from crypto billionaire
- READ MORE: Reform donor Christopher Harborne: Richest British-born billionaire who lives in Thailand, keeps his private life under wraps and has given party another £36million
- READ MORE: NIGEL FARAGE: This money is for ONE purpose... to prepare Reform for government
- READ MORE: Nigel Farage declares record-breaking £72m from crypto-billionaires will ready Reform for government
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