THe Guardian reports that communities secretary, Angela Rayner believes that the donation could be caught in a new bill which will apply retrospectively.
The paper says that Labour MPs have voiced anger on internal WhatsApp groups that the government did not act last week to restrict domestic donations in the elections bill after Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo gave Reform UK a total of £72m over the weekend:
Several MPs said they believed the government should have adopted an amendment by the Labour MP Stella Creasy to the representation of the people bill. Creasy’s amendment proposed an annual cap of £100,000 on most domestic donations. Although it had the support of 60 MPs from various parties, it was not put to a vote after the government said it would ask a taskforce to look at the proposal.
The communities secretary, Angela Rayner, said the bill would have restrictions on foreign donors and that the government was examining rules on domestic donations. The bill will go to the House of Lords this week.
The two donors who gave Reform UK £36m each have both previously been based outside the UK. Harborne is a citizen of the UK and Thailand, while Delo recently moved back to Britain from Hong Kong. It is unclear when Delo returned to live in the UK and whether Harborne remains a resident of Thailand.
As part of the new legislation, donations to political parties from Britons living abroad or those who have returned to the country within the past 12 months will be capped at £100,000 a year, with the rules backdated to March. Reform UK has said it is confident the donations have been made within the law.
So will Farage get to spend the money? We will have to see.
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