Overview
- At London’s Digital Asset Summit, the Reform UK leader cast himself as the industry’s “champion” and called for a Thatcher-style “Big Bang Two” to deregulate finance.
- Core planks include a state Bitcoin reserve funded by roughly £5bn in seized assets, a flat 10% capital-gains rate on crypto, and protections against banks closing lawful crypto accounts.
- He vowed to halt a Bank of England digital pound and criticized proposed limits on stablecoin holdings, while promoting a two-year sandbox for digital-asset innovation.
- Regulatory and institutional realities cited by observers: proceeds-of-crime rules would need changing to retain seized coins, tax changes require a Finance Bill, and Reform holds only a handful of seats.
- Coverage notes Reform UK’s polling momentum, as critics warn a public Bitcoin fund and flatter crypto taxes could strain revenues and expose taxpayers to market volatility.