Reform UK's £72m Donations Could Fall Under New Retrospective Bill, Minister Suggests
A cabinet minister has indicated that legislation aimed at donation rules could apply retrospectively to Reform UK's record £72m in donations, as Labour MPs express frustration over the party's inaction.
A cabinet minister has suggested that Reform UK's record £72m in donations from two crypto billionaires could be affected by a new bill that would apply retrospectively, according to a report by The Guardian.
The donations, from Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo, were made to Reform UK over the weekend and represent the largest sum the party has received to date, the report said.
According to The Guardian, Labour MPs have expressed anger on internal WhatsApp groups that the government did not act sooner to restrict domestic political donations through the elections bill before the large sums were transferred to Reform UK.
The unnamed cabinet minister pointed to the retrospective effect of the forthcoming legislation as a possible mechanism through which the donations could still be scrutinised or restricted, the report indicated, though details of how such retrospective application might work were not specified in the source material.
Reform UK has stated that it is confident its funding arrangements are within the law, according to The Guardian.
The report did not provide further details on the specific provisions of the new bill or a timeline for when it might be introduced or passed.
Sources
- Reform UK’s £72m donations may be caught by new bill, Rayner suggests — The Guardian — World
EGazette summarizes reporting from multiple sources; follow the links for the originals.
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