Did crypto billionaire buy himself an election win in the UK?

Scandal in the United Kingdom as it became clear that Christopher Harborne, a British crypto billionaire living in Thailand, donated some £5 million to Nigel Farage, causing the latter to change his mind about participating in a by-election back in 2024. Following the donation, Farage registered for the election and won a seat in Parliament. At this moment, he is the frontrunner to become the new British Prime Minister.

Nigel Farage tar emot miljongåva från kryptomiljardär före kovändning om valet

Fem miljoner pund från Christopher Harborne betalas ut innan Farage ställer upp och slipper redovisning eftersom han ännu inte är parlamentsledamot, pengarna uppges gå till livvaktsskydd medan…

— Bubbla (@nyhetsbubbla) April 29, 2026

Bitfinex

Christopher Harborne is a British businessman who amassed his fortune through a minority stake in Bitfinex (the well-known crypto platform) and Tether (issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, USDT). In 2019, he gave millions of pounds to Nigel Farage’s so-called Brexit Party, but in 2024, just before a local election, he gave about 5 million pounds to Farage personally.

Crypto billionaire gave Farage
£5mn before general election https://t.co/OCYrzhYi0H via @ft

— Nino Brodin (@Orgetorix) April 29, 2026

Farage announced 24 hours after receiving the funds that he would stand for election for the parliamentary seat in Clacton-on-Sea, which he promptly won.

Afterwards, he founded ‘Reform’, which has managed to lure more and more voters away from the Conservatives.

At this moment, it appears that Farage would become the new British Prime Minister if elections are held.

The British press is therefore in an uproar now that it has emerged that the largest donor to the (potentially) new Prime Minister is a crypto-billionaire living in Thailand.