Bullivant doesn't see how this message could be construed as 'threatening' – the word openDemocracy put to her in a phone interview in late-March – but did clarify that GB PAC would never publish the names of the people who are reported to them. This carries worrying echoes of another, increasingly prevalent feature of US politics, where pro-Israel campaign organisations collect "deportation lists" of activists and academics who speak out against the country.
At the time, Bullivant mostly wanted to stress that GB PAC hoped to bring together the existing parties on the right, rather than create a new rival one.
"Come 2029, I really want to make sure the right vote isn't split again," she said. "We're definitely NOT a political party".
But in the weeks following our conversation, rumours began to swirl that Habib, GB PAC's chair and big-name star, had other ideas.
Habib was once a Conservative donor, who switched his allegiance to Farage and was elected as a member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party in 2019. In 2023, he was made a co-deputy leader of Reform UK, but was removed from this post after failing to win a parliamentary seat in last year's general election. Months later, he quit Reform altogether, citing "fundamental differences" with Farage over Brexit, the party's structure, and "mass deportations" (which he says he supports and Farage does not).
Now it seems he is going it alone. On 7 April, Habib became the director of the Integrity Party, according to documents filed with the UK's business register, Companies House.
A few days later, Bullivant sent a message to members of GB PAC, restating the group's commitment to being "policy-first, principle-led, party-neutral".
"Ben is still very much our chairman," she wrote, "and will explain his latest move in due course."
The new political party's website says it is dedicated to promoting "social cohesion, strong institutions, functional economic systems, open communication, cultural identity, innovation, participation and governance, education and knowledge, social safety nets, and conflict resolution." Anyone who wishes to become a "corporate partner" (read: donate over £2,000) is encouraged to get in touch.
'Major loopholes'
In the future, when the story of this period in British politics is written, GB PAC and the Integrity Party may not even appear in so much as a footnote. But the nature of the current political moment means that either group – or any similar future organisation – could chance upon the exact right combination of events to become a well-resourced, highly influential political vehicle overnight.
The £100m donation to Reform that Elon Musk was reported to have been considering earlier this year has, so far, failed to materialise. In the meantime, Musk's at-one-time frenzied interest in UK politics seems to have waned, and his purported favoured son of the British right, Rupert Lowe, now sits as an independent MP, having had the Reform whip suspended over allegations that he verbally threatened the party's chair. (Lowe has denied these allegations, calling them "vexatious".) The latest Westminster gossip suggests Lowe could join the Conservatives.
All in all, the chances of that money appearing in Reform's account, or even featuring at all in British politics, have fallen. But the chances are still significantly more than zero, and may well rise as the 2029 general election nears. Musk's erratic nature means there's always a possibility that one day soon, if the right tweet or meme catches his eye, the bet could be back on.
It's worth keeping in mind that while to Musk, dropping £100m is roughly equivalent to me or you buying a round of drinks, the total donated to allUK political parties in 2024 – a general election year – was around £97m. Without blinking, on a whim, the richest man in the world could yet decide to fundamentally alter the course of British politics for a generation.
"I know Ben [Habib] is friends with [Musk]," Bullivant told openDemocracy. "Elon is interested in what we're doing. He retweeted us a few weeks ago, which was very nice. I don't know if they've talked about the PAC. But if he did want to give us money, there's nothing to say he can't."
Other foreign donors could, too. Bullivant told openDemocracy that "some of the American PACs" have invited GB PAC to Washington in the coming months, though she wouldn't say which.
An organisation such as GB PAC could be a very effective way of funnelling untraceable cash into British politics, from anyone, anywhere. Although UK political parties are barred from receiving foreign donations, there's no such rule for other political entities. A PAC could take in money from overseas and donate it to a party as an effective way around the rules.
And openDemocracy understands that, unlike in the US, UK electoral law means a British PAC would not need to declare its funders. In fact, outside of an election period, it would likely not have any transparency requirements whatsoever. Even during an election period, it would probably be bound only by spending rules – if it campaigned on behalf of a party or a coherent grouping of parties, for example – but would still not need to declare its funders.
GB PAC, or the model it seems to have almost stumbled upon, may yet form a critical part of the expanding and changing right-wing ecosystem.
"The appearance of political action committees in the UK is deeply alarming," said Susan Hawley, the director of Spotlight on Corruption.
"There are very real risks that outfits like this could supercharge huge flows of foreign money into the UK for political campaigning, which the UK's current laws and framework are simply not equipped to tackle.
"Currently, major loopholes, which allow foreign funders to finance non-party political organisations and digital campaigns, pose an existential threat to our democracy."
Hawley added: "It's time the UK looked at the Canadian model of regulating third-party political campaigners in the same way as political parties, and banning them from using foreign funds for their campaigns."
Even without help (that we know of) from GB PAC, Reform seems to be attracting significant donor interest. The party now resides in an expensive office in Westminster's Millbank Tower, which has previously been home to Labour and Tory HQs and UN offices. It will soon share the building with, among others, a pro-Reform think tank that has already secured £1m in backing, according to the Financial Times.
Westminster's money-watchers are eagerly awaiting Electoral Commission data due out in early June, which will show just how much Reform has brought in during its first period of intense fundraising. The expectation is that the figure will be significantly higher than for any other party, and likely for all the other major parties combined.
As Reform continues to dominate the national polls ahead of May's local elections in England, Labour MPs in seats the party is targeting are acutely aware of the threat, particularly if the Reform candidates they're up against can attract the kind of cash needed to resource a big national campaign.
One of these Labour MPs, who spoke to openDemocracy on condition of anonymity, said they feel the party should be highlighting the disconnect between Reform's populist pitch and its elite, big-money backing. They feel unable to do so, they said, because of Labour's own relationship with big-money funders.
"Parties should serve the people and not the super-rich. Labour must bring itself into line along with other parties. It's time to end the role of big money in politics," added the MP, who represents a constituency where Reform came second in last year's general election.
Labour leader Keir Starmer would certainly struggle to make too much of any party taking cash from donors with overseas links, given two of his major backers are Labour's own South African-born billionaire, Gary Lubner, and a Cayman Islands-controlled hedge fund – even if they are, respectively, a UK resident and a UK resident 'for tax purposes'.
The Labour MP also told openDemocracy that "billionaire foreign oligarchs like Musk do not have our country's interests at heart", adding: "The super-rich should not be allowed to weaponise their wealth to dictate British politics.
"Reform are exposing themselves as domestic servants of the global elite. The law should be changed to prevent this corruption of democracy. We need total transparency about all their income sources."
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