How Reform's £72m Mega Donations Change UK Politics

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Episode details

News,·12 Sep 2026,·34 mins

How Reform's £72 Million Mega Donations Change UK Politics

Available for over a year

Today, we look at two record breaking donations to Reform UK of £72 million. The money has been given to the party by two crypto billionaires, Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne. Laura and Paddy discuss who they are, and why they’ve decided to hand over such a massive amount of cash. Delo said he wants a "fair fight and a level playing field", before Harborne said his "competitive spirit" inspired him to equal the £36 million. But what effect will this actually have on UK politics? And could it change the date of the next General Election? You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480. New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O’Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Jem Westgate. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Jonathan Greer. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.