James Orr, a suspended Reform UK official, told an undercover reporter in July that donations from billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo might violate a proposed £100,000 overseas donor cap, three months before they gave £72m to the party.
01Summary
- 01James Orr, then Reform UK's head of policy, was recorded by the investigative group Verbatim in July 2025.
- 02He discussed potential legal issues with donations from Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo under the proposed £100,000 overseas donor cap.
- 03The cap, if passed, would cover donations dating back to March 2025 and require donors to be UK residents for a calendar year.
- 04Orr said Harborne would be 'more of a challenge' and 'can’t do anything for 12 months' after moving back to the UK.
- 05Reform UK insists the £72m in donations are legal, as the retrospective cap has not yet become law.
02Why it matters
This matters because the donations could be scrutinised under new laws, potentially affecting Reform UK's funding and raising questions about the legality of large political contributions from overseas-based donors.
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