The Electoral Commission is reviewing election spending limits as Reform UK prepares to put £72 million from two billionaire donors to work.
The watchdog is examining the cap on party spending before a general election and the money spent between elections. Its chief executive, Vijay Rangarajan, told The Sunday Times that campaigning had “changed significantly in recent years”.
A lower cap could restrict Reform’s campaign plans. For now, the rules remain in place and the Commission has made no recommendation.
The review began before the donations
Ministers requested the review on 10 July, two months before Reform announced its £72 million windfall. The donations have brought new attention to a review that was already under way.
In a second letter, dated 29 August, Angela Rayner and Louise Haigh asked the Commission to include limits on individual candidates’ spending. They made the government’s position plain:
“We believe spending limits on parties and candidates are too high, and ought to be reduced.”
The ministers said the previous Conservative government had raised the limit on party spending by 80%, from £19.5 million to about £34 million. They also pointed to the £94 million parties spent at the 2024 general election, which they described as the most expensive in UK history.
Rangarajan told The Sunday Times that the Commission would examine party and candidate spending, the information parties must report and campaigning between election periods. He said changes would need to be practical and based on evidence gathered from parties, candidates, campaigners and voters.
Two donors, £36 million each
The sums behind the renewed interest are striking. Ben Delo announced a £36 million donation to Reform, describing it as a way to give the party a “fair fight” against Labour and the Conservatives. He said the gift worked out at £1 million a month for three years, paid upfront.
Christopher Harborne then matched it. The longstanding Reform donor told The Telegraph that his “competitive spirit inspired me to match it”. He said he expected “nothing personally” in return, including a peerage or a change in policy.
Delo co-founded the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX. Harborne, who is based in Thailand, has argued that Reform needs substantial funding to build the staff and organisation enjoyed by its longer-established rivals. Nigel Farage welcomed both gifts, saying they would put his party on a more equal financial footing. The Daily Britain reported the donations when they were announced.
The £72 million came from two people in the space of two days. It has given Reform money to plan beyond its next fundraising drive, while intensifying the argument over how much financial influence any individual donor should be able to wield.
What could change for Reform?
Under the current Electoral Commission rules, a party contesting every seat in Great Britain can spend just over £34 million on regulated party campaigning in the 12 months before a general election. The figure depends on how many seats a party contests. Reform’s two new gifts alone total more than twice the maximum for a full slate across Great Britain.
Farage has announced plans to hire 400 campaign managers in target constituencies. The Guardian reported that Reform was already advertising more than 60 jobs, including 47 full-time campaign managers, branch coordinators, a video editor and staff to support its councillors.
Some Reform activists have questioned the emphasis on paid managers, arguing that the party needs more volunteers to knock on doors. A Reform source defended the spending as part of the ordinary work of building a national party, including paying for staff, rent and headquarters.
That hiring drive shows why the Commission’s interest in spending between elections matters to Reform. The party is building an operation now, well ahead of the next general election’s regulated campaign period. The review could recommend changes to that framework, although it has not said what those changes would be.
The Commission has been asked to report by July 2027, or sooner if possible. Ministers would then decide whether to change the rules. A cut to the campaign cap would apply to every party, but Reform’s £72 million has made the question of how much a party can spend newly urgent.
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