Who is Christopher Harborne? The Thailand-based businessman who donated £36m to Nigel Farage's Reform UK

The combined £72 million is more than the total received by all UK political parties last year.

And it means that in 2026, Reform has now raked in around £86 million, compared to around £7 million raised by both Labour and the Conservatives.

But who is Christopher Harborne, and why is he gifting Reform so much money?

Who is Christopher Harborne?

Christopher Harborne is a British businessman and investor in his early 60s.

Based in Thailand, he holds Thai citizenship under the name Chakrit Sakunkrit.

He was educated at Westminster School, the elite private institution in the surrounds of Westminster Abbey before going on to Downing College, Cambridge.

He is also believed to have studied at business school INSEAD.

Wealth and businesses

Mr Harborne described himself on his LinkedIn profile as an "engineer, pilot and investor".

He is well-known an aviation entrepreneur and has made significant wealth running and investing in companies.

Two of his businesses - AML Global and Sherriff Group - are linked to aircraft and aviation and he reportedly controls aviation-fuel supply and private-jet operations through these businesses.

Additionally, Harborne has had a stake in the defence tech firm Qinetiq, which reportedly garners around 80% of its arms-related revenue via Ministry of Defence (MoD) contracts.

Political donations

Harborne has a long history of donations to right and centre-right political parties in the UK, amounting to tens of millions of pounds.

He donated more than £6 million to the Reform’s previous iteration, The Brexit Party, in 2019-2020, making him the biggest donor to that party in that period.

In August 2025, he gave Reform UK £9 million, in the largest single donation from a living individual to a UK political party in history.

This broke the record set by the £8 million from supermarket tycoon Lord David Sainsbury to the Liberal Democrats in 2019.

Lord David’s cousin, Lord John Sainsbury, left £10million to the Conservatives in his will in 2023.

An investigation is currently underway into a £5 million gift given by Mr Harborne to Nigel Farage in 2024, before he became an MP.

The £36 million donation

Writing in the Telegraph this weekend following his record donation, Mr Harborne said the party required funds for its infrastructure, saying it "needs more money than can be provided by membership fees alone".

He added: "What do I expect in return for my donations? Nothing, personally. No peerage, no policy change, just a party that is ready for government.

"I have already accumulated enough wealth for the rest of my life. I am now committed to putting that to work for Britain and humanity as a whole."