Ben Delo’s political power hub emerges near Westminster
Just a few moments’ walk away from the Houses of Parliament, an alternative centre of political power is emerging. Pass through the Gothic facade of The Sanctuary, the striking Victorian building overlooking Westminster Abbey, head up a few floors, and you will find an office space that has become a secretive hub for right-wing and “anti-woke” power players, reports BritPanorama.
Inside are meeting rooms, podcast studios, and event spaces that have hosted a veritable who’s who of the British right, from establishment politicians to more fringe players. At the heart of all of this is the man whose name is on a framed presidential pardon—Ben Delo, the crypto billionaire who has just made history by handing £36m to Reform, the largest donation ever given to a UK political party.
These offices, seemingly acting as an incubator for a host of right-wing endeavours, suggest his political interests may extend well beyond Farage and co. The Sanctuary provides a hotspot for those involved in Delo’s chosen causes to meet, connect, and establish a global network free of charge.
Delo has had a base at The Sanctuary since at least 2022, camping out there ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral alongside conservative philosopher Jordan Peterson to get a good view of the cortege leaving the Abbey. “There was some back and forth with the Metropolitan Police,” Delo later told Perspective Media. “But of course we had every right to be there. They brought their sniffer dogs in and sniffed our sleeping bags. Then they said: ‘Don’t open your windows, or our snipers will shoot you.’”
This sleepover with Peterson encapsulates Delo’s closeness with major players in the so-called culture wars. Free speech is a principal focus for him: “I’d always just taken for granted that as a British citizen, we had rights… Freedom to enquire, freedom to think, freedom to think,” he articulated to The Telegraph last year.
At his summer party, mainstream figures rub shoulders with provocateur podcasters, seemingly shifting the Overton window in the process. Notable attendees last year included former cabinet minister and current Spectator editor Michael Gove, and Reform’s failed Gorton and Denton by-election candidate Matthew Goodwin.
One video posted on social media hailed the event as “an evening of joy, freedom and quiet revolution.” Despite its proximity to power and its role as a backdrop for various media endeavours, The Sanctuary remains largely under the radar.
It has been the filming location for shows such as Triggernometry, the self-styled “free speech YouTube show and podcast,” including episodes featuring Boris Johnson and Kemi Badenoch, and productions from Courage Media, a platform dedicated to fostering free and open dialogue. It also served as the launch site for the party’s campaign for mass deportation of immigrants last year.
Yet, according to reports from Hope Not Hate and The Guardian, “organisations that use The Sanctuary are told not to refer to it online,” and Delo’s name is absent from the plaque outside the office, which features his close friend Jeremy Hildreth as the occupant. Hildreth is a branding specialist described as “the Indiana Jones of branding” and has reportedly taken on a chief-of-staff type role within the organisation.
The premises are outfitted like a pseudo-members club, featuring taxidermy decor and a champagne-filled drinks cabinet. This suggests that self-styled disruptors have replicated the visual trappings of the establishment they claim to oppose.
Born in Sheffield and raised in Oxfordshire, Delo studied maths at Oxford University before working in banking and co-founding the crypto exchange platform BitMEX in 2014. By 2018, Delo had become Britain’s first Bitcoin billionaire, with the platform handling around $1 trillion in trading volume.
Shortly thereafter, Delo signed up for the Giving Pledge, initiated by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett. He states that he has donated over £100m to various causes, including the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences and the Sheila Coates Foundation, aimed at helping children with autism.
In 2022, however, Delo was convicted in the US for failing to implement an adequate anti-money laundering programme at BitMEX. He received a 30-month probation sentence and a $10 million fine, but was later pardoned by Trump, part of a recent trend accommodating crypto magnates.
Delo’s return to the UK from Hong Kong in April generated headlines, framed as a strategy to bypass Labour’s cap on political donations from expats. It appears he has been gradually re-establishing his roots in the UK over the past few years.
Organizations and events that align with his interests have benefited from his financial support. The Ben Delo Foundation backs the Battle of Ideas, which promotes free speech, though it is not registered in the UK; Delo’s lawyers assert his philanthropy is managed through a donor-advised fund with a UK charity provider.
Moreover, he has supported Tory peer Toby Young’s Free Speech Union, an entity focused on countering “cancel culture.” His fixation on free speech has drawn him into controversial circles. In 2023, he helped fund a lecture series at Oxford University featuring Palantir founder Peter Thiel discussing his book The Diversity Myth, sitting front row with James Orr, the Cambridge theology academic and former Reform policy head.
Back in 2024, The Sanctuary reportedly hosted an Aporia event for The Human Diversity Foundation, a network promoting discredited eugenicist concepts. Attendees were informed they would receive venue details only on the morning of the event. The panel included Nathan Cofnas, known for his controversial academic positions.
According to Hope Not Hate’s investigation, Delo backs over 50 projects across the political spectrum, with some goals contradicting others. These groups collectively constitute “the Ecosystem,” a range of organizations that broadly identify as “anti-woke,” yet may have differing beliefs on specific issues.
By “scattering his donations,” Delo appears to be broadening his influence and political sway. The diverse guest list at The Sanctuary suggests a network of connections that transcends a single, high-profile cheque.
