LONDON: A major donor to the Conservative Party has switched allegiances to Reform UK.
Bassim Haidar, born in Nigeria to Lebanese parents, has pledged £1 million ($1.33 million) to Nigel Farage’s party, having previously donated more than £700,000 to the Conservatives.
The Conservative Party has “lost its way,” Haidar told the Telegraph on Sunday, adding that he believes Farage could become prime minister and “bring this country back to its glory.”
The move makes Haidar Reform’s biggest donor, with £200,000 already delivered to aid the party at upcoming local elections.
The tech mogul, who moved to the UK in 2010 and made his fortune modernizing communications networks in Nigeria, became disillusioned with the former Conservative government after it changed Britain’s tax laws for non-domiciled individuals.
He now plans to move his family, including three school-aged children, out of the UK following the election last year of the Labour government, whose non-dom and inheritance tax policies he disagrees with.
“I’ve always been pro-business and I always supported parties that supported businesses,” he told the Telegraph. “The Conservative Party stopped listening and, for me, I had to go with the party that I believe can actually reset and change the status quo in the UK.
“Nigel and Reform are the only ones that can do this and that’s why I’m supporting them. If we want a better future, we have to stop funding the past.”
Labour’s economic strategy “defies all logic” and will make the country poorer, he said. Farage, though, is “listening to the people, he is addressing their concerns, he is talking about immigration in a way that no one has actually spoken about, he is willing to do things that I think the other parties aren’t willing to do.”
Haidar, whose business empire includes a vast property portfolio worth over £100 million, a Caribbean hotel and a loans company, added: “I believe he would reform tax, he would encourage investment, maybe come up with a new non-dom tax regime, so hopefully once he becomes prime minister we’re going to see the UK becoming great again.”
On the subject of Farage potentially becoming prime minister, Haidar said he is “very convinced” of his chances.
“Nigel has all it takes, and if funding is an issue, I don’t think he will have that issue going forward,” he added.
“They (Reform) have a lot of momentum behind them. Yeah, they are a small party, but what does that actually mean? It means nothing. All of us were small once.
“It’s the same thing I said to people who thought I would never make it in life, when I was in my 20s and I was starting out in business and I had something to prove, and look where I am today.”
Reform UK is expected to perform well at local elections across the UK next week, and currently leads the Conservatives by a considerable margin in a number of opinion polls.
Haidar believes that success over Labour and the Conservatives could lead to even more financial support for Reform from wealthy donors.
“I have a few friends that are seriously, seriously considering (donating to Reform),” he said. “Some of the statements that Nigel made recently have resonated with them and I have got calls and they have told me they really believe that he is on the right track and they have become very encouraged.
“I know it will come. Like everything else you have to be a pioneer, you have to lead and once you lead people will follow. Nigel has done it from a politics point of view, I want to do it from a support point of view.”
He added: “There is absolutely nothing in it for me besides me believing that Nigel can turn it around and bring this country back to its glory.”
Farage told the Telegraph: “Reform has achieved a huge amount on a small budget so far. With a donation like this, we can rapidly build out our team and professionalise further as we head towards the next general election. This is especially true if others follow Bassim’s lead.”
