A significant loan of £350,000 from Ben Delo, a major donor to Reform UK, has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that the recipient, Nina Power, was involved in a legal case where a judge found her guilty of online bullying and conduct that carried "the whiff of threat and antisemitism."

Background of the Case

Nina Power and her friend, writer Daniel DC Miller, initiated a defamation lawsuit against performance artist Luke Turner, accusing him of falsely labeling them as antisemitic. In response, Turner filed a counter-claim for harassment against the duo. Ultimately, both claims were dismissed; the judge ruled that Turner's online presence was insufficient to harm their reputations and that Power and Miller's actions did not constitute unlawful harassment.

The Loan and Its Implications

The loan from Delo was intended to support Power's legal battle before the trial in 2023. It has been reported that Delo did not believe Power and Miller held antisemitic views and would not knowingly support such beliefs. The judge noted that while there was no overt antisemitism from Power and Miller, their social media posts had a troubling undertone:

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"The whiff of threat and antisemitism which they themselves can fairly be held to have created."

Despite the judge's findings, she stated that the conduct was too diffuse to be deemed unlawful. The judge also acknowledged that Turner had indeed faced harassment from others, but not from Power and Miller to a criminal extent.