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Reform UK lines up billionaires to fund ‘political disruption’

By Mark Mansfield
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

Reform UK’s treasurer Nick Candy has claimed the party has “a number of billionaires” ready to donate to Nigel Farage’s party in addition to American tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Mr Candy said the party would cause “political disruption like we have never seen before”, with the money set to be spent on grassroots campaigning, data and polling.

Earlier this month the Reform leader and treasurer met Mr Musk at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, fuelling speculation about a substantial donation.

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'Disrupter'

Property developer Mr Candy told the Financial Times that he would “raise more money than any other political party” and that Reform would have more members than the Conservative party within three months. The party has launched an online site with a counter displaying its membership and the target needed to overtake the Tories.

“We have a number of billionaires prepared to donate to the party, not just Elon,” Mr Candy said.

“The Reform party is the disrupter — this is the seed round, the series A. This will be political disruption like we have never seen before.”

Mr Candy, who arranged the meeting between Mr Musk and Mr Farage, said the US billionaire would “be the first of many wealthy donors legally allowed to donate”, although he did not name any others.

The treasurer, who switched from the Tories and promised a “seven-figure sum” for Reform, said the party had “more Conservative values in its little finger than the Conservative party”.

“Even the big Tory donors are calling me,” he told the Financial Times. “A lot of people will join us. The movement has started.”

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'Foreign interference'

Rules preventing foreign donations mean Mr Musk would have to funnel any donation through one of his UK-based businesses.

Parties can accept donations from a number of sources including individuals on the UK electoral register or a UK-registered company.

The head of the Electoral Commission, Vijay Rangarajan, has called for the rules to be strengthened to “protect the electoral system from foreign interference”.

Commons Leader Lucy Powell said any proposals to change the law would not come until next year.

Robust

She told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips there will be an Elections Bill “probably in the next parliamentary session” which could include “making sure that the issues around donations are … fair and robust”.

Shadow cabinet minister Kevin Hollinrake said he would not seek to block Mr Musk making a donation, but suggested he would like him to back the Tories instead.

He said: “I have great faith in the British public. I don’t think the British public could be easily bought. I think they’ll decide at the next election who they think the best party is to run this country. And I think they’ll choose Conservatives.”

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27 comments

Llinos dafydd

Would Plaid turn down such a bequest?

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Llinos dafydd

Would Labour turn down such a bequest?

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Adrian

They’ve never been known to so far.

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Llyn

Really? Please can you tell me the names of these foreign nationals working for a foreign government who have given tens of millions of pounds to the Labour Party?

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In reply to Llyn

hdavies15

Starts with suits and specs then escalates to travel, holidays, use of second homes ..... Nip it in the bud before it gets toxic.

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Howie

They took Quadratures money with roots in Cayman Islands.

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Llyn

Not quite sure what you're refering to but the Cayman Islands is a British protectorate. The USA is not.

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Bob

Is there anyone that still believes Brexit was for the people and not the billionaires?

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Y Cymro

Sadly the plague of populism is spreading like a cancer. Do those living in areas neglected by Labour and Conservatives seriously think multi-billionaire neo-fascist South African Elon Musk cares about those living in sink estates throughout Britain, or millionaire Nigel Farage worry about thousands of Welsh steelworkers about to lose their jobs. Are they having sleepless nights? Oh please. Come on. Wake up from your bloody stupor! Has Brexit benefitted Wales? Simple answer. No! Wales have lost out bigtime financially and democratically. And where's Nigel Farage to console those put on the scrapheap? Certainly not doing the job elected by listening to the concerns of his Clacton constituents by attending surgeries or is he worrying sick about those soon to be on Universal Credit in Port Talbot and the wider South Wales area. This useful idiot is being wined and dined in America by Elon Musk & Donald Trump. Who can recall how Donald Trump once boasted how he like the poorly educated. I fear Farage will use the same tactic to entice those from poor impoverished areas as done when he demonised the EU & Immigrants to facilitate those in the poorest communities to self-harm while omitting all the good being part of the European Union was for Wales rather than demonising migrants ,vtge very ones made out to be hate figures that's kept our Welsh NHS afloat, the cogs of industry turning, and our food stores stocked with produce by picking vegetables & fruit in our field. He, Farage, is a scammer, a crook, who's like the pied piper of Clacton will channel with the help of Musk's millions the hatred of Muslims , asylum seekers. His ambition is to make England great again i.e a return of empire and those Taffy's in Wales put back firmly their box with Wales returned back to being a voiceless appendage of England forgotten on the fringe of Western Britain ripe for resource rape rather than an equal modern progressive inclusive self governing nation part of Europe and the wider world. Also, Farage has admitted to wanting to privatise the NHS. He's said so during one CPAC meeting. And where voters will have an uncertain fate after his alt-right chaos , Farage on the other hand will make millions. After all, to Farage the public are a merely a commodity. Remember, he's a former City of London Commodity broker and far-right Conservative. And I've noticed the only ones who have benefitted from the UK leaving the European Union are not the electorate but those who campaigned to leave the EU such as Nigel Farage, Aaron Banks, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and other little England BritNat blood suckers. You find where's there's chaos a Conservative is behind the wheel driving erratically.

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Dr John Ball

Enough bleating! The gauntlet has been thrown down, time for ap Iorwerth and Plaid Cymru to get it's a*** into gear. But I doubt it....

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Fi yn unig

Rhun ap Iorwerth needs to crank up the dial to Annibyniaeth max on Welsh Labour NOW! Welsh Labour cannot just sit there in the hope they they can be a UK Labour attachment. ‘Clear red water’ is no longer enough given the existential threat that faces our country. The aforementioned parties also need to be talking to SNP, Alba and anyone interested in averting the final irreversible multi billion pound/dollar guaranteed eradication of our nations. To hell with policies. We won’t be talking about those things unless we act.

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In reply to Fi yn unig

Dr John Ball

Totally agree! But I'm not holding my breath.

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Jeff

Wreckers using money looking after money. That is all they are. System breakers and hate paddler's. How did brexit go. Oh well, lining up "I told you so" in case they get No10. Germany 1933 about to come to the UK?

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Felicity

Sounds like a hostile takeover! Electoral Commission?

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Charles Coombes

Be aware be very aware!

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Garycymru

And how is this not completely illegal? Not that Reform care much about the law...

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hdavies15

Interference by any seriously wealthy person is bad news. These are people who employ sophisticated methods to mitigate/avoid/evade their taxation obligations but are very happy to fund anything that works towards their world vision. I notice on here that only Musk and other loons backing Farage, Trump et al are mentioned. We should also be concerned about the scheming of Soros, Gates who use a smokescreen of caring about climate/environmental issues to manipulate governments and minds in general. Rest assured whichever cluster of excessively wealthy men takes control of aspects of your life any benefit to you will be purely coincidental.

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Adrian

Next thing you know Musk’ll be paying for Mrs Farage’s frocks!

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Felicity

Think the tech bros would be very keen on our NHS data.

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Howie

Why do you think Eli Lilly has been donating to Labour and getting lucrative NHS contracts for their weight loss drug.

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Adrian

The sainted NHS already shares it. https://www.ft.com/content/6f9f6f1f-e2d1-4646-b5ec-7d704e45149e

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Felicity

Thanks for the link. Fascinating survey. That data is worth $billions.

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Jeff

Hancok already sold it off, for free (Covid data store went). Then they lined up for a fresh deal for next to nothing via Tory government, through Palantir. A big chum of the biggly Chees-it. And trump dont like the way the NHS has buying power, he has no control there and wants in. Handy when musk final buys $reform to tell them what policy to attack and go for in the UK. https://www.bmj.com/content/386/bmj.q1712

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Felicity

Certainly the Tories have already done the groundwork by starving the NHS over 14 years. Not to mention Andrew Lansley and John Nash.

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Steve. Thomas

And not for you Adrian?

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Jeff

I am not the one supporting a bloke that is happy with his friend being a sex pest and supports a previous abuser as an MP by running away from questions. I can live with that. Speaking of which. Donny calls, Nige does what he is told https://bylinetimes.com/2024/11/29/nigel-farage-teams-up-with-extreme-anti-abortion-group-and-calls-for-debate-on-restricting-abortion-rights-in-uk/

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S Duggan

What's a mystery is why people believe in Reform and Farage. A party and person who brownarse billionaires, billionaires who only care about the bottom line. I know worsening living conditions, in western countries, are a cause of people leaning towards populists again but surely that'd have learnt from the 1930s, and more recently Brexit, that, in reality, these people care little for them and will just make their plight even worse.

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Leave a reply

Replying to Felicity Cancel

Certainly the Tories have already done the groundwork by starving the NHS over 14 years. Not to mention Andrew Lansley and John Nash.

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