Green Party candidate becomes first mainstream UK politician to accept bitcoin

A Green Party politician has become the first mainstream political candidate in the UK to accept bitcoin donations towards a parliamentary campaign.

Gulnar Hasnain began a crowdfunding campaign in an effort to raise £1,000 to help print 50,000 leaflets as part of her bid to be elected as the first Green MP in Vauxhall, London.

So far £350 in sterling has been donated towards the target but more than double that has been donated in bitcoin.

"The Green Party does not receive large corporate donations so we decided to crowdsource the money to pay for our campaign in Vauxhall," Hasnain told IBTimes UK.

"I decided to accept donations in bitcoin to raise awareness of the positive aspects of Bitcoin and on how disruptive tecnology such as the blockchain can transform democracy worldwide."

The Green Party does not have an official position on bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies but Hasnain believes that the issues her party are vocal on fit in with the transformative potential offered by bitcoin.

"Accepting bitcoin has largely been motivated by my own experience in the sector," Hasnain said. "Surprisingly though the Green Party is vocal on the same issues as the bitcoin movement, or at least those vocalised by the amazing entrepreneurs I've met: more decentralised power, smaller government, a desire to shift the concentration of power in the banking system and a more inclusive society."

Hasnain will be running against the incumbent MP Kate Hoey from the Labour Party, who has held the Vauxhall seat since 1989.

To boost her chances other alternative types of donation for Hasnain's campaign are being accepted in the form of the meme-based cryptocurrency dogecoin and the bitcoin tipping service ChangeTip.

"It has been absolutely amazing," Hasnain said. "Within 24 hours I have nearly four bitcoins, $25 of tips via ChangeTip and the dogecoins are starting to flow.

"People have been extremely supportive of my desire to mainstream bitcoin and show the positives of the technology."