British crypto billionaire Ben Delo says he has given £4m to Reform UK
A British billionaire convicted in the US for failing to implement adequate anti-money-laundering controls in his cryptocurrency business has given £4m to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.Ben Delo, 42, who is now based in Hong Kong, wrote in the Telegraph that he had made the donation since the start of the year, before the government’s cap on donations to political parties by British citizens living abroad.The businessman, who was pardoned by Donald Trump last year, is moving back to the UK and therefore will not in future be subject to the new rules for donors.The cap may limit further contributions from Reform UK’s Thai-based donor Christopher Harborne, who has given £12m so far.In his article for the Telegraph, Delo explained his motivations for turning to Reform UK, saying England was his home and that “the biggest obstacle to national recovery is the entrenched self-deception of our elites”.
“Their regime of nonsense now poses such a grave threat to the UK that, for the first time in my life, I’ve become politically active,” he wrote.“Since the start of this year, I have donated £4m to help Nigel Farage to build Reform UK into a genuine alternative party of government.It is already leading in the polls by virtue of recognising and articulating the full scale of the problems our country faces.For the first time, I feel that serious people are looking honestly at what it might take to fix Britain.”He said that as a person on the autism spectrum, he did not like that “the official culture of government now forces everyone to be chronically dishonest”, citing expression of views on transgender people.
Delo was convicted in the US in 2022 after pleading guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to implement adequate anti-money-laundering controls at BitMEX, the trillion-dollar cryptocurrency exchange he co-founded,In his Telegraph article, he wrote: “I helped build one of the world’s first major crypto trading platforms, fell foul of US regulators, accepted a plea bargain and a civil fine for a regulatory failing that isn’t even a crime in the UK, but then ended up being pardoned by Donald Trump, the US president, anyway,”Delo, an Oxford graduate who describes himself as a champion of free speech, supports more than 50 organisations ranging across the political spectrum and public life, as well as non-affiliated groups and individuals,A Guardian investigation last month into Delo’s political base in Westminster found he had given support in kind to Rupert Lowe, an anti-migration MP challenging Nigel Farage from the right, while also connecting with more mainstream figures including the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, and the former cabinet minister Michael Gove,The joint work by the Guardian and Hope Not Hate revealed that some of the people and projects that had benefited from Delo’s largesse had expressed hardline positions on immigration, nationalism and abortion.
It also showed that Delo, who says he has poured more than £100m into philanthropy, was providing funding, networking opportunities and help in kind via a suite of rooms in a building overlooking Westminster Abbey known as the Sanctuary.Those given access can use the facility free of charge for events, office space and podcasting.The billionaire’s lawyers have previously told the Guardian he provided space for those with diverse views to express them, and financial support to a broad range of organisations, many of which had conflicting views.This did not mean he endorsed the opinions of each, they said.Restore Britain, the party founded by Lowe, a former Reform UK MP who now sits as an independent, launched its campaign for the mass deportation of millions of migrants from a room at the Sanctuary last year.
Farage told the Telegraph: “Our priority is to build a detailed programme for government so, if we are elected, we have the right policies in place to get Britain back on its feet as quickly as possible.Ben’s support will help Reform attract more of the skills and talents we need to get ready for government.“Moreover, it is particularly gratifying to me personally, that someone like Ben, a builder and a visionary and a problem-solver, who has spent a lifetime grasping trends before other people do, sees the potential of Reform.”
From The Drama to Malcolm in the Middle: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
R-Patz and Zandaya star in a romcom with bite, and the lovably dysfunctional family is back in a revival of the turn-of-the-millennium comedy hitThe DramaOut now It is hard to imagine a more zeitgeist-flavoured proposition than Zendaya and Robert Pattinson starring in a dark romantic comedy from A24 – and frankly we are here for it. The pair play a couple whose relationship is tested by the revelation of brand new information during their engagement. Directed by Kristoffer Borgli (Dream Scenario).Kim Novak’s VertigoOut now The notional star of Alfred Hitchcock’s masterly ode to obsession is James Stewart, but it is the image of Kim Novak in her iconic dual role that endures. Documentarian Alexandre O Philippe sits down with the actor as she discusses her career in general and her iconic work on Vertigo in particular
Colbert on Trump’s Iran speech: old news ‘delivered by a narcotized turtle’
With most late-night hosts on holiday, Stephen Colbert recapped Donald Trump’s prime-time national address on the war in Iran and his firing of the US attorney general, Pam Bondi.Stephen Colbert opened Thursday’s Late Show with a celebration of the new US moon mission – “I’ve got moon madness!” he exclaimed – but after a bit on reported toilet trouble onboard Artemis II, he turned to more pressing Earth-bound matters. “Speaking of human waste, just a few hours ago we learnt that President Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi,” he told the audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater.“Now listen, in tribute to Pam Bondi, I offer this heartfelt farewell … ,” he added, pulling out a letter that began “Dear Pam”, followed by paragraphs of blacked-out text and the sign off: “Sincerely, Stephen Colbert” – a reference to the many, many redactions of the Epstein files that Bondi oversaw as attorney general.Bondi lost her job because Trump was reportedly upset over her handling of the said files, a dark cloud which still hangs over his administration
Post your questions for DJ Shadow
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Late-night hosts tore into Donald Trump’s intimidation tactics at the supreme court hearing on birthright citizenship and another judge’s order to halt construction of his White House ballroom.Wednesday was “a big night on all the broadcast networks”, said Stephen Colbert on The Late Show, as Trump gave a primetime national address on the war in Iran.“It was concise, intelligent and brought the nation together with shared purpose,” Colbert said. “April fools! Trump gave a speech tonight, on the first night of Passover. So whether you’re Jewish or not, I recommend having had four glasses of wine
Colbert on Trump’s shifting tone on Iran: ‘It’s a military strategy known as starting a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle’
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Jon Stewart on Trump: less war leader, more ‘grandpa who’s lost his filter’
Late-night hosts checked in on Donald Trump’s costly “improv” war in Iran, which he cannot seem to focus on for more than one minute.This week marks a month of Donald Trump’s unauthorized war in Iran, “and as we all know, one month is the elevated threat anniversary”, joked Jon Stewart on Monday evening.“Trump is threatening to escalate our bombing campaign unless Iran opens the strait that they closed in response to Trump’s bombing campaign,” the Daily Show host explained. “I believe we’ve entered what General Patton used to refer to as the ‘human centipede portion’ of the war.”Stewart then mocked news coverage of the strait of Hormuz closure, which focused on potential disruptions to the supply of Dubai chocolate, the chocolate bar with pistachio paste that has become a favorite treat of influencers
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