The papers' hypocrisy over Reform's £72 million bungs

While much of the political world was fretting over the impact of two unaccountable crypto billionaires buying Reform for a total of £72 million, the right wing papers had no such qualms: it was unabashed great news.

“FARAGE: £72M WAR CHEST WILL READY US FOR NO 10” ran the headline on the Mail on Sunday, underneath the subhead “NIGEL HITS THE JACKPOT”. In what the paper curiously labelled an “exclusive”, it quoted Nigel Farage as saying the mega-bung was an “investment in democratic renewal” before handing him a full-page op-ed to gloat about it.

Strangely, the paper appears to have no qualms about what Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne may want for their money given its relentless focus on the trade unions’ funding of the Labour Party. Since the 2024 election it has repeatedly linked union funding to, for example, decisions on public sector pay, criticising above-inflation pay offers to train drivers and doctors (BMA) and labelling Angela Rayner the “union bosses’ voice in cabinet”.

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The Sunday Express, meanwhile, splashed with “£72 MILLION! Two bombshell donations allow Reform to ‘fight on equal terms’,” with chief political commentator David Williamson gushing that the “turbocharged war chest” was a “major vote of confidence in the Reform project”.

That paper, too, has been rather more concerned about donor interference in party affairs when it involves the Labour Party. Last year, as a strike in Birmingham saw bin bags pile up in the city’s streets, it ran the headline “Starmer’s too afraid to challenge Labour’s union paymasters” while the previous year it told readers that “Keir Starmer [was] set for huge battle with union paymasters over NHS reforms.”

And in May, the Daily Express – in effect the same paper as the Sunday Express at cash-strapped Reach – published a poll showing the British public wanted political donations outlawed altogether! 71% of people said they would support banning them outright.

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Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph went with the front page “Farage: £72m war chest will ready us for power” and gave an op-ed to Christopher Harborne to explain how his enormous donation was in fact “a philanthropic gift to our country”.

The very same Sunday Telegraph ran story after story in 2023 and 2024 attacking Labour’s acceptance of donations from the green business magnate Dale Vince, claiming it meant Starmer was “in bed” with a backer of the group Just Stop Oil and endorsing calls from Suella Braverman – then of the Conservatives – for Labour to return his cash, claiming the then PM was going “soft on crime” for accepting the money.

Donations to Labour are dodgy, donations to Reform are an altruistic gift. At least Reform won’t need to spend their newfound fortune advertising in the papers – they’re already doing the job for free!