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Angela Rayner has suggested that two mega donations to Reform UKcould be ruled illegal under new laws being pushed through parliament which will be “backdated”.
The housing secretary was reacting to £72m in donations from two crypto billionaires – Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne – for Nigel Farage’s party given on Friday and Saturday in two lumps of £36m.
With fears that the money from billionaires could distort British politics, Ms Rayner warned that Reform should not count on keeping the money with a new law Labour is pushing through parliament.
She told Sky News: “The important thing, and the reason why we’ve got a bill going through Parliament at the moment, is that we need to have secure elections that are for the people, and that you can’t buy your way into our democracy.
“That’s why the Rycroft review was set up, and we’ve already taken action against overseas donations, which will be backdated to when the Rycroft was published.”
She went on: “It will be backdated. As this bill goes through Parliament, we’re really clear on overseas donations and also about those that have recently returned to the UK that are also within the scope of the Rycroft review, which was published on the 25 March, and we’re really clear that when that was published, and we were making sure that no one could go through any loopholes.”
Pressed on the issue, she doubled down: “We’re saying that if you don’t pay taxes in, you don’t live here, you can’t buy your way into our democracy because you’re a billionaire.
“It’s a really live question for us about making sure that our democracy is about the people and them having a choice, and not about people with billions of pounds being able to buy their way in.”
Then on the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg she confirmed that the new law “will be retrospective”.
But questioned by Ms Kuenssberg over the way Labour receives millions from the trade unions she insisted: “This is different. That money comes from millions of ordinary members.”
She noted that Mr Farage is already under investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner because of a separate £5m donation from Mr Harborne, who until recently was living in Thailand.
Questions have also been asked about Mr Harborne funding a protest over the Chagos Islands which is also connected to Reform UK.
The Metropolitan Police is also investigating Reform after a Channel 4 showed key aides of Nigel Farage apparently attempting to raise illegal foreign donations. The sting saw the resignation of Mr Farage’s chief of staff Dan Jukes and policy director James Orr.
In reference to other parties rewarding their donors, Reform has insisted: “Our donors want nothing and will never be given a peerage, knighthood or a government contract.”
Reform’s Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick said: “We see no reason why we should return these donations.”
He described the donations as “a breakthrough moment for Reform, a huge vote of confidence in us as a party.”
He went on: “These are two patriotic British businessmen who have got behind us everything that we stand for. We believe we’re the only party that is able to turn this country into the mess that we’re in right now.
“It enables us to do two things: be battle ready for the general election, whether it comes in a few weeks’ time or indeed two years’ time, and to prepare for government.”
Mr Delo was pardoned by Donald Trump after being convicted of failing to set up a money laundering arm to his business in the US.
But Mr Jenrick described him as “a philanthropist” who has raised money for autism and other charities.
On Sky News, he noted that other parties have gone out of their way to reward major donors.
“They’ve asked nothing in return for their donations. We’re not like the Tory Party that hands out knighthoods and peerages to their donors.
“ Neither these two individuals, nor anyone who donates to our party, is going to be on some honours list in the years ahead if we’re lucky enough to be in government.”
He pointed out that 24 of the last 25 Tory treasurers “have ended up in the House of Lords.”
Source: www.independent.co.uk