Panicked Labour bosses issued an emergency appeal to their members after Nigel Farage’s party was handed a record windfall.
Panicked Labour bosses issued an emergency appeal to their members after Nigel Farage’s party was handed a record windfall (Image: Getty)
Labour has sent an “urgent request” to its members begging for donations after Nigel Farage’s Reform UK secured a staggering £72million financial mega-boost in less than 24 hours. In an urgent email to party members, Labour headquarters called on its grassroots base to chip in small-scale donations to counter the massive influx of capital into Reform UK’s bank accounts.
The record-breaking £72million fundraising total – stemming from two back-to-back £36million donations from tech entrepreneurs Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne – represents the largest 24-hour financial haul in British political history. In its message sent directly to members’ inboxes, Labour laid bare its alarm over the scale of Reform’s new bank balance. The party wrote: “This has never happened before in British politics […] This is a record-breaking financial backing – but for us it has to be a call to action.
“Think about what £72 million can mean in an election. More ads. More reach. More opportunities to put Farage’s divisive message in front of millions of people, again and again and again.
“We cannot let less than a handful of extraordinarily wealthy crypto-billionaires simply drown Labour’s messages out in elections to come,” the party added. “Reform dominating what voters see and hear, Labour fighting to be heard.
“That’s why we urgently need you with us today. Please donate £3, £5, or whatever you can afford to help Labour fight back.”
Labour raised roughly £10million to £18million per year in registered major donations (Image: Getty)
The begging letter sparked an immediate, fiery backlash across social media, with angry voters laying into Labour over the contrast between Government spending and their demands for public support.
One user wrote: “I’m no Reform fan, but this is just pure class. Labour [gives] the migrants everything at the taxpayer’s expense and then beg for donations from the British public. All the money they tax us and they want people to give them more!”
Another fumed over the perks enjoyed by sitting politicians: “Don’t forget [people], they get expenses, second homes, fuel and heating allowance, freebies, and that’s what we know about.”
A third said: “Labour is begging members for £3. They know they cannot catch up. The panic in that email says so.”
Farage said he was ‘honoured and humbled’ by the historic support (Image: Getty)
Before this week, the UK’s top political donation record was a £10million Tory bequest in 2022. By contrast, Labour’s record single donation is just £4 million – given by hedge fund foundation Quadrature Capital before the 2024 election. Long-time backer Lord David Sainsbury has also given Labour over £11.5million across his lifetime, including £2.5million for their 2024 campaign.
According to Electoral Commission records, Labour raised roughly £10million to £18million per year in registered major donations. To put Reform UK’s record total into perspective, that single windfall is nearly four times what Labour raised in major donations across an entire year.
The £72million was reached after investor Christopher Harborne matched an identical £36million pledge by BitMEX co-founder Ben Delo. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Harborne described the contribution as a “philanthropic gift”, expecting no peerage or policy changes in return, while Mr Delo said the cash would free the party to focus on policy and ground operations.
A jubilant Nigel Farage declared he was “honoured and humbled” by the historic support.
The Express contacted the Labour Party for comment, who highlighted party chair Bridget Phillipson’s response to Mr Harborne’s donation: “Farage can’t buy his way out of the sleaze and scandal he and Reform UK are drowning in – or the multiple police investigations that are ongoing into Reform’s dodgy finances.
“The serious questions Farage and Reform need to answer aren’t going away – in fact they’re just piling up.
“It’s time Farage and Reform came clean with the public, fully co-operated with the ongoing police investigations and prove they’re not just in it for themselves.”