加密货币亿万富翁向英国改革党捐赠3600万英镑创纪录Crypto Billionaire Donates Record £36m to Reform UK

在英国现行法律下，本土捐赠者向政党提供政治献金的金额未设上限。本·德洛此笔3600万英镑的单笔注资，使他一举成为英国规模最大的政治捐款人，其数额大幅超过了常驻泰国的克里斯托弗·哈伯恩此前向改革党提供的1500万英镑资金支持。

Under current electoral law, there are no statutory limits on the amount of money UK-based donors can give to political parties. Ben Delo's £36m contribution establishes him as the UK's largest political donor by a wide margin, exceeding the previous £15m donation given to Reform UK by Thailand-based investor Christopher Harborne.

德洛在《每日电讯报》撰文说明，这笔款项相当于为改革党在工党政府最迟于2029年举行大选前每月提供100万英镑。德洛表示，自己选择提前全额支付所有款项，是由于担忧政府未来可能出台措施限制本土巨额捐款。他主张改革党应减少在筹款竞争上耗费的时间，将精力集中于为执政做好准备。

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Delo stated that the financial commitment represents £1m per month until the latest possible general election date in 2029. Delo explained that he opted to provide the entire sum upfront to ensure the resources were secured in the event that the government introduces new restrictions on domestic mega-donations, adding that Reform should spend less time competing for funding and more time preparing for government.

出生于谢菲尔德的牛津大学毕业生本·德洛是加密货币交易平台BitMEX的联合创始人。2022年，德洛在美承认未能建立足够的反洗钱控制并接受辩诉交易与民事罚款，后获得唐纳德·特朗普赦免。他曾辩称，相关监管违规在英国甚至不构成刑事犯罪。德洛此前居住于香港，随后迁回英国居住并持续为改革党注资，除本次创纪录赠款外，他此前已向该党累计提供了数百万英镑资金。

Sheffield-born Oxford graduate Ben Delo co-founded the multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency platform BitMEX. In 2022, Delo pleaded guilty in the United States to regulatory charges involving failures to establish adequate anti-money laundering controls, settling via a plea bargain and civil fine before receiving a pardon from Donald Trump. Delo maintained that the regulatory issue did not constitute a crime under UK law. Having relocated from Hong Kong back to Britain to back Reform UK, Delo had previously provided millions of pounds to the party prior to this record contribution.

在《每日电讯报》发表的文章中，自称言论自由捍卫者的德洛指出，国家复兴的最大障碍在于精英阶层根深蒂固的自欺欺人，这种荒谬体制对英国构成威胁，促使他生平首次投身政治活动。德洛在威斯敏斯特教堂附近设立了政治运作据点，并向横跨不同政治立场的五十多个组织和个人提供支持。其律师表示，德洛致力于为不同观点提供表达空间与资金资助，但这并不代表他支持所有受资助方的具体立场。

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Delo described himself as a free-speech advocate and argued that the primary obstacle to national recovery was the entrenched self-deception of the ruling elite, which compelled him to enter political activism for the first time. Operating from a base near Westminster Abbey, Delo has extended support to over fifty organisations across public life and varied political viewpoints. His legal representatives stated that providing resources to facilitate diverse debate does not constitute an endorsement of every recipient's specific political stance.

在德洛提供创纪录巨额捐款的同时，改革党的整体筹款运作正面临多项正式调查。英国警方在第四频道新闻播出秘密暗访报道后宣布启动调查，该暗访拍到两名改革党高级助手涉嫌提出规避选举法以获取海外捐款的途径。改革党否认存在任何不当行为，并表示将全力配合警方调查。

Delo's massive contribution arrives while Reform UK's broader financial operations face multiple formal investigations. Police launched an inquiry following an undercover broadcast by Channel 4 News that recorded two senior Reform aides apparently suggesting methods to circumvent electoral law to obtain foreign political funding. Reform UK has denied any wrongdoing and stated it will cooperate with the investigation.

伦敦警察厅正在审查上届大选前夕向改革党支付的款项是否符合捐赠法规，重点关注法拉奇长期盟友乔治·科特雷尔的母亲菲奥娜·科特雷尔直接向该党提供的捐款，以及一家由改革党副党首理查德·泰斯控制、并在2024年6月从菲奥娜处接收了100万英镑的公司相关付款。与此同时，议会标准专员正对法拉奇展开调查，以核实他是否应申报2024年大选前从常驻泰国的加密货币投资者克里斯托弗·哈伯恩处获得的500万英镑现金礼金。法拉奇辩称该款项属于纯粹的私人赠与，与自己的议会或政治活动无关，因此没有申报义务。

The Metropolitan Police is also investigating whether payments made to Reform UK in the weeks prior to the last election complied with statutory donation laws. That inquiry is examining direct political contributions from Fiona Cottrell, mother of longtime Farage ally George Cottrell, as well as payments linked to a company controlled by Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice that received £1m from Fiona Cottrell in June 2024. Simultaneously, the parliamentary standards commissioner is investigating whether Farage should have declared a £5m cash gift received ahead of the 2024 general election from Thailand-based cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne. Farage has argued that the funds constituted a purely private gift unrelated to his parliamentary or political duties, maintaining he was under no obligation to register it.

德洛的创纪录巨额献金引发了工党及其他反对党议员的强烈反对。工党议员斯特拉·克里西呼吁在《人民代表法案》于上议院审议期间确定本土捐赠上限，并指出改革党单日获得的这笔资金已经超过了工党在整场大选中的总支出。多名工党议员对改革党在大选前获得如此规模的资金支持表示震惊，认为必须立法防止少数富豪对政治产生过大影响。

Delo's record-breaking contribution has drawn fierce pushback from Labour and opposition politicians. Labour MP Stella Creasy urged lawmakers to establish a statutory cap on UK donations in the Representation of the People Bill during its proceedings in the House of Lords, pointing out that Reform UK had received more money in a single day than the total amount spent by the Labour Party during the entire general election campaign. Numerous Labour MPs voiced alarm over the unprecedented scale of the cash injection heading into the next election cycle, arguing that legislative intervention is required to stop wealthy figures from exercising excessive influence over the political process.

与此同时，自由民主党内阁办公室发言人丽莎·斯马特指责法拉奇试图通过资金直接换取权力，并呼吁对政治献金设立严格上限。在立法层面，工党政府虽曾对全面限制所有捐款持保留态度，但此前已着手推行限制措施，要求对旅居海外及回国未满12个月的英国公民设定10万英镑的献金上限。改革党及其主要支持者批评政府的限制措施意在阻碍其政党发展，而政府方面则表示正在研究应对巨额献金的方案，坚称英国民主制度不容买卖。

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Lisa Smart also criticised the development, accusing Nigel Farage of attempting to buy his way into office and insisting that limits on political gifts are essential to protect the democratic system. While the Labour leadership had previously hesitated over introducing a universal cap on all political contributions, the government has pursued measures to restrict gifts from British expats and returning citizens to £100,000 during their first year back in the country. Reform UK and its donors have condemned the overseas restrictions as an attempt to suppress the party's momentum, whereas ministers maintain that British democracy is not for sale.