'I'm a champion for crypto' Farage cosies up to tech bros in hope of broadening funding base

It is a grey morning in Shadwell, east London.

- Lauren Almeida

But inside the old shell of Tobacco Dock, the gloom gives way to pulsating neon lights, flashy cars and cryptocurrency chatter. Evangelists for Web3, a vision for the next era of the internet, have descended on the old trading dock to network for two days. For many, the main event is one man: Nigel Farage.

"Whether you like me or don't like me is irrelevant; I'm actually a champion for this space," the leader of Reform UK tells the audience of largely male crypto fanatics at the Zebu Live conference. “Either I'm here to support your community, or your community is here to support me. But either way, this is a trade that works for both of us.”

It is a transactional relationship that Farage is trying to nurture, aping Donald Trump's playbook in the hope that it could grow into a funding base for his next election campaign. This year Reform became the first main party in Britain to accept donations through bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.