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Nigel Farage Reform Britain has returned to the fight, while conservatives have donated more in the first three months of 2025 and in the first three months of 2025 than other large parties.
Tories received more than £3.3 million in donations in the first quarter, the Election Commission said Tuesday. During the same period, the Governance Labour Party received £2.3 million, while the Reform and Liberal Democrats received just £1.5 million.
Kemi Badenoch’s party received the biggest £1 million donation from gaming entrepreneur and new donor Jeremy Elliott San in February, according to figures released by the UK election Watchdog.
Media reports suggest that data for that period has not yet been made public, but they donated another £1 million in May than in the UK’s local elections.
The conservatives also secured £250,000 from Flowdia Limited, run by banker Henry Agest, and won fresh donations from longtime supporters such as billionaire Anthony Bamford and chairman of equipment maker JCB.
Alan Howard, the manager of the billionaire hedge fund, gave £50,000 in the first quarter, and has not been donated since 2023.
Meanwhile, the majority of Farage’s funding for the right-wing populist group came from associate leader Richard Teiss, a leading financial aid in recent years.
The rise in donations to conservatives reflect enduring support from both new and old supporters for one of the most successful parties in the democratic world.
Many want to see the major opposition regain momentum after suffering from a general election defeat last year and being surprised under Badenok.
The YouGov voting intention vote, released Tuesday, showed conservatives reforms of 17%, 23%, and 29%.
The Financial Times said last week that senior reform figures were unhappy with Nick Candy, the treasurer, and that the big donations, including his own “seven people” pledge, failed to materialize, despite the party eliciting voter anger and surged in polls.
One of Tice’s companies, Tisun Investments Ltd, has donated more than £600,000 to reforms over the period, while Fiona Cottrell, a longtime supporter of Farage, has given it £250,000.
Cottrell is the mother of British investor George Cottrell, and is closely connected to the parties and attends events regularly. He was imprisoned in the United States in 2017 after committing a crime of fraud.
Fiona Cottrell is currently giving the party a total of £750,000.
Labour has received more than half of the union contributions, including £400,000 from the unit.
