Nigel Farage says Reform UK will allocate part of £72m crypto donations to Scottish campaign
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage confirmed that a portion of the party's £72 million crypto-funded war chest will be spent on its Scottish operations ahead of the next general election.
Reform UK, under Nigel Farage, announced that part of its £72 million election fund—derived from large crypto-related donations—will be directed to its Scottish branch for the forthcoming general election. The party has been embroiled in several donation scandals, including a police probe into a £500,000 contribution from Fiona Cottrell and questions over a £32,500 US-funded poll. In an interview with STV News, Farage confirmed spending in Scotland but refused to reveal how many seats the party aims to contest.
He also noted that council elections next year are on the agenda. The comments followed a Norstat poll indicating that a majority of voters would back a second independence referendum if Farage became prime minister, raising concerns about the political impact of the funding.
How this story developed
- Sep 3 Richard Tice condemns Chinese imports while Reform UK merch made in China is on sale
- Sep 4 National Rally leader Jordan Bardella delivered an English speech at Reform UK’s gathering, emphasizing tighter ties with the British party and joint immigration control.
- Sep 4 Reform UK invited Bardella to speak at its Birmingham conference.
- Sep 6 West Midlands Police have issued a call for the protester to come forward to assist their inquiry.
- Sep 7 The memorandum was signed, moving the idea from conference discussion to a formal agreement.
- Sep 18 Liberal Democrat members say the party has stalled since its 2024 election surge and aim to adopt a more aggressive tone at this weekend’s conference.
- Sep 22 YouGov's latest seat-by-seat model indicates Reform UK would secure just 123 seats if a general election were called today, a sharp drop from a similar poll a year ago. Labour is forecast to lead with 241 seats, followed by the Conservatives at 130, while the Liberal Democrats hold steady at 71. The results point to the first hung parliament since the 2010 coalition. Reform also appears to be losing its high-profile MPs Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman back to the Conservatives. The party's decline follows recent scandals involving alleged off-the-books polling and the suspension of aides Dan Jukes and James Orr, prompting a Met Police investigation.
- Sep 25 A new YouGov poll shows Reform UK level with the Conservatives and behind Labour.
- Sep 27 The party has moved from internal frustration to publicly unveiling a health‑and‑economy platform at its conference.
- Sep 28 Lee Anderson announced a “whip round” to raise funds for the woman struck with a walking stick.
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