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The Americanisation of British political donations

A £9 million boost to Nigel Farage’s party from a crypto investor raises questions about the influence of big money in politics.

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Nigel Farage's Reform UK party is pushing for deregulation of Britain's financial services sector.

Nigel Farage's Reform UK party is pushing for deregulation of Britain's financial services sector.

PHOTO: AFP

Lucy White and Emily Nicolle

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Reform UK broke records after it emerged last week that it had received a single £9 million (S$15.5 million) donation from a cryptocurrency investor. While the size captured headlines, its significance went well beyond the amount of money involved.

Some in Britain saw it as another attempt to import tactics that helped propel Mr Donald Trump to the presidency in the US, and a signal of just how much donors may be willing to spend to influence an upstart party creating policy from scratch.

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