Christopher Harborne, also known as Chakrit Sakunkrit, has given more than £22 million to Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party), according to multiple reports. In August 2023, he made a single donation of £9 million, the largest from a living person in UK political history. Harborne was responsible for more than half of the £5.5 million raised by the party in the fourth quarter of 2023, major media reported.
Harborne is a British businessman and early cryptocurrency investor who holds a stake in Tether, the stablecoin company. He was educated at Westminster School, Downing College Cambridge, and INSEAD, according to major media. He previously worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. and is now CEO of Sherriff Global Group and owner of AML Global, major media reported.
Harborne has also donated to the Conservative Party and the Brexit Party in the past. In November 2022, he gave £1 million to Boris Johnson's private office, and he acted as an adviser to Johnson on a trip to Kyiv in September 2023, according to major media.
Does he want anything from me? No. Absolutely nothing in return at all. He just happens to think that we've not made the most of Brexit, that we're not getting into the 21st-century technologies.
Harborne resides in Thailand and holds Thai citizenship under the name Chakrit Sakunkrit, multiple reports indicate.
Reform UK denies any link between Nigel Farage's promotion of Tether and Harborne's donations. A party spokesperson said the donations are because Harborne supports Reform UK, just as he supported the Brexit Party. Farage stated that Harborne wants nothing in return and simply believes the UK has not made the most of Brexit or embraced 21st-century technologies.
It remains unclear what motivates Harborne to donate such large sums to Reform UK, and whether there is any quid pro quo between his donations and Farage's promotion of Tether or cryptocurrency deregulation. The exact nature and extent of Harborne's stake in Tether, as well as how his wealth from cryptocurrency and aviation businesses compares to his disclosed donations, are also unknown. Additionally, the role he played as an adviser to Boris Johnson on the Kyiv trip has not been detailed.