Why has Nigel Farage taken £5m from a crypto billionaire?

Why has Nigel Farage taken £5m from a crypto billionaire?

Author: Global May 1, 2026 Duration: 40:25

In the last weeks, the funding of the Reform party has attracted more and more attention. This is a party which tells us they are heading to Downing street, a party tipped to the top the poll in next week’s English local elections.

We now know that Nigel Farage’s party has been given over £12m from a single donor, a Thai based British businessman, crypto billionaire, Christopher Harborne. And we also now know that just before Nigel Farage was elected an MP in 2024, Mr Harborne gave Farage a gift of £5m, never before declared.

How could it be that Reform, a party we are told which is preparing to be government, is so dependent on a Thai based crypto billionaire? What does it say about the way we fund politics? And politics to come?

The News Agents is a Global Production.

The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/


Every weekday afternoon, Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel, and Lewis Goodall gather to make sense of the noise. Their The News Agents isn't a simple bulletin; it's a conversation between three of the UK's most experienced journalists who have seen the machinery of government and media from the inside. This daily podcast from Global focuses on the forces shaping our world, dissecting the headlines from Westminster and beyond with a sharp eye for what really matters. You'll hear them pull apart political strategies, question the official narrative, and trace the connections between today's breaking story and its deeper roots. What sets this show apart is their collective tone-a blend of genuine expertise, natural scepticism, and the occasional necessary laugh at the absurdities of the news cycle. They provide context where others just provide clips, aiming to answer the persistent "why" behind the "what." Tuning into this podcast feels like getting a direct, unfiltered briefing from colleagues who know the landscape intimately, making the complex flow of daily events not just comprehensible but genuinely engaging. It’s analysis designed for anyone who wants to move past the soundbites.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The News Agents
Podcast Episodes
How did Epstein make his money? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:37
The tentacles of Epstein’s billionaire paedophile ring crossed continents, age, political persuasion and profession. That much is all clear from the files. But what we are still piecing together is how Epstein made his m…
Is Russia's ban from world sport over? - The Sports Agents [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:02
Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to represent their countries at the upcoming Winter Paralympics. For the first time since 2014, since Russia’s state-sponsored doping programme and the war with Ukraine, we…
The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:39
A man in his sixties has been arrested in Norfolk. The mundanity of the police statement belies the monumental significance of what just happened. The eighth in line to the crown, the former Prince Andrew, has been arres…
Why didn’t the BBC ask Prince William about Andrew? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:36
Prince William gave an interview to BBC Radio 1 to talk about men’s mental health and the importance of speaking out. It’s a vital topic - and it affects millions of people.What was noticeable, however, was that in the c…
Did the Met Police cover up for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:07
Today we have an exclusive investigation into the relationship between the Metropolitan Police Royal Protection officers and the royals they served. Did things become too cosy? Were they encouraged to ignore wrong doing?…
Why was a Labour campaign group spying on journalists? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:10
The Prime Minister has called for an investigation by the Cabinet Office into the campaign group Labour Together which helped get him into power. The think tank is accused of having dug up dirt on journalists investigati…
Natalie Fleet MP: Her grooming story and how she fought back [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:40
It has been a dizzying week in UK politics since the publication of the latest of the Epstein files, and the revelations of his links to Westminster. But as the politics took over, it is the voice of survivors that is th…
Has racism been normalised in the immigration debate? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:15
Jim Ratcliffe, the part owner of Manchester United, multi-billionaire and Monaco based non dom, has taken the government to task for allowing immigrants to “colonise“ the U.K. Does he realise he’s using a far right trope…
Why does Keir Starmer keep promoting the friends of paedos? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:16
Keir Starmer came away from a bruising Prime Minister's Questions encounter having to explain why he appeared to make the same mistake twice. No sooner had the fallout from the Mandelson appointment settled (briefly) tha…