A UK-born businessman who has lived in Thailand for two decades has made political history by giving the largest ever single donation from a living person to a British political party. Christopher Harborne, who also goes by the name Chakrit Sakunkrit, donated a staggering £9 million to Reform UK in August 2025, according to new Electoral Commission data.
The Man Behind the Millions
Despite not being a UK resident and holding Thai citizenship, Mr Harborne has a long and substantial history of bankrolling British politics. Electoral records reveal his political donations in the UK total at least £24.5 million since 2001. His initial support was for the Conservative Party, to which he gave £10,000 in May 2001 and nearly £2 million by October 2022.
His allegiance, however, has shifted. Reform UK first received funds from him in April 2019—a sum of £200,000. His financial backing extends to individuals as well. He donated £27,616.76 to Nigel Farage personally in January 2025 to facilitate the Reform leader's attendance at Donald Trump's second inauguration. Furthermore, he provided £32,836 for travel costs following the attempted assassination of Trump in July 2024.
Mr Harborne also made one of the biggest-ever donations to a single UK politician when he backed Boris Johnson with £1 million in 2022, later serving as an advisor during the former Prime Minister's 2023 trip to Kyiv, Ukraine.
Building a Business Empire
The source of this considerable wealth is a global business portfolio. According to a court filing, Mr Harborne owns several companies employing over 600 people worldwide. A key part of his operations falls under AML Global, an international jet fuel broker. This firm has been awarded contracts worth $39 million (approximately £29 million) by the US Department of Defense.
His commercial interests are diverse. He was an early investor in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and describes himself as the chair of the Sherriff Global Group on his LinkedIn profile. His education includes prestigious institutions: Westminster School, Cambridge University, and the INSEAD business school.
Reshaping the Political Funding Landscape
This record-breaking donation has propelled Reform UK to the top of the political fundraising charts. Figures for the third quarter of 2025 show the party reported the most donations of any, totalling £10,526,846. This significantly outstripped the Conservatives (£7,038,861), Labour (£2,564,786), and the Liberal Democrats (£2,174,712) in the same period.
Mr Harborne's £9 million gift breaks the previous record for a living donor, which was the £8 million given by Lord David Sainsbury to the Liberal Democrats in 2019. The largest single donation overall remains a bequest of over £10.2 million to the Conservatives from Lord John Sainsbury in 2022.
This substantial influx of capital from a non-resident donor is set to intensify debates around political party funding and the influence of wealthy individuals on the British democratic process. It underscores Reform UK's growing financial firepower as it seeks to establish itself as a major force in UK politics.
