SubscriptionsColumn / Investigation: Crypto Politics
Dark money, lobbying, regulatory capture, state institutions hollowed by donor factions, foreign interference, and the financialisation of political power.
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‘Keir Starmer’s Defence of the Two Child Benefit Cap is Indefensible’
The Labour leader’s refusal to commit to scrapping George Osborne’s austerity-era policy risks committing hundreds of thousands more children into poverty
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Nigel Farage and an ‘Extraordinary Lack of Curiosity’ from UK Government and Intelligence Services Over Possible Russian Interference in Brexit
“It did strike me as ridiculous that, given the overt nationalism of the Leave.EU campaign, it was involved in discussions with representatives of the Russian Government”
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Helicopter Cash: Rishi Sunak’s Reliance on Taxpayer-Funded Air Travel Exposed – and the Conservative Donors who Fund his Trips and Benefit From Huge Government Contracts
The Prime Minister’s penchant for air travel dwarfs that of his predecessors flies in the face of the Government’s net zero pledges and comes days after his D-Day dodging shame
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‘We Can Stop Lying in Politics – But Will a New Government Pay Attention to the Public’s Demand for Honesty?
At this moment in history, lying can no longer be dismissed as an unpleasant by-product of the political game – and we can do something about it, writes Compassion in Politics’ co-founder
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Conservatives Promote JCB’s ‘Revolutionary’ Pothole Machine While Taking Millions of Pounds in Donations from the Company
Senior Conservatives have repeatedly promoted a pothole repair machine made by a company which has donated huge sums to the party and its MPs
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Brexit is the Election Elephant in the Room – But Business Leaders Know the Truth
Brexit has barely been mentioned during the election campaign – but the impact on businesses and the economy is so much worse than the public might think
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‘Donald Trump’s Hush Money Verdicts May Not Hurt his Presidential Run But Will Damage America’s Democracy and Image’
The former US President was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels
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UK Government Accused of Allowing Georgia’s ‘Pro-Russian’ Drift After Foreign Influence Law Passed
The Conservatives said they had no idea a UK-backed Georgian communications unit was using trolls to attack opponents and spread anti-Western disinformation. A source claims the former Foreign Secretary was informed last March
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‘Only a Bold Vision from Labour Will Restore Any Faith in Our Broken Politics’
Jennifer Nadel, co-founder of Compassion in Politics, argues that Westminster’s dysfunctional system under a potential Labour government could leave the door open to far-right politics in the years ahead
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Liz Truss Claims Labour Party is ‘In Hock’ to Terrorists in Conspiracy Laden Rant on Fringe Right-Wing Talk Show
As Rishi Sunak faces calls to strip her of the whip, Liz Truss claims without evidence that ceasefire protests are funded by authoritarian states, amid a litany of strange proposals
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Modi Likely to Win Third Term in India as Voters Urged to End Reign of ‘Dictator’ Amid Fears Country Will Become ‘Russia-Like Autocracy’
India is about to enter the final phase of its general election, amid cries to ‘save democracy’, with Modi expected to further tighten controls and silence opposition voices if he is re-elected
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Calls for the Crown to Stop Prosecuting Peaceful Climate Protesters as Prisons Clogged and Criminals are ‘Let Off’
The Government is accused of pushing public bodies to go tougher on protesters
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Government ‘Anti-Extremism’ Protest Report Launched in Westminster by Think Tank with Ties to US Hard Right
The Counter Extremism Group has close ties both to Government – and to hard-right think tanks
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Sunak’s ‘Anti-Extremism’ Adviser Demands Protest Bans to Protect Defence and Energy Firms While Working as Lobbyist for Arms and Fossil Fuel Industry Groups
Lord Walney’s proposals would impose an effective ban on certain protest groups while handing police forces the power to outlaw regular Gaza protests
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Government Spends Billions on Border and Custom Controls Still Incomplete Three Years After Brexit
No final date has been set for when ‘the most effective border in the world’ will be fully operational, according to a new report by the National Audit Office
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‘Huge Victory for Democracy’ as Rishi Sunak’s Protest Crackdown Found Unlawful by High Court
The Home Office unlawfully gave police the powers to intervene against protests where no serious disruption was taking place, the court found
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Potential Conservative Leadership Candidate Robert Jenrick Blames Donation from Dormant Firm On Administrative Error
The MP reported a donation from a company that appears to be inactive in the UK – which his team has now told Byline Times was a mistake
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Georgian President’s Veto of ‘Russian Law’ Sets Stage for Government’s Showdown with Western Partners
President Salome Zurabishvil tonight announced her veto of the ruling Georgian Dream party’s controversial law on ‘foreign influence’ almost two weeks earlier than expected.
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Rishi Sunak’s Russian Hypocrisy: How the Conservatives ‘Emboldened’ Vladimir Putin
The Prime Minister’s party took millions of pounds in funding from Russia-linked individuals, while rewarding those who played into Putin’s hands
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More Protesters to Face Prison as Government Plans Bans on Face Masks and Flares at Demonstrations
“The Government is determined to shut down the ways in which ordinary people can take to the streets to make their voices heard,” Liberty says
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‘A Relentless Assault’: the Staggering Rise in Child Poverty in the UK
Gordon Brown responds to a shocking UNICEF report that UK child poverty has worsened drastically more than 38 other OECD nations
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Cracks in the Crackdown? Pressure Mounts on Georgian Dream
Amid massive public protests and deepening international pressure, the ruling Georgian Dream party has said it may be willing to negotiate on their controversial ‘Russian law’
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The Kremlin’s Game of Thrones: Why did Putin Sack Shoigu?
Putin may replace his long-standing Defence Minister but cannot tackle the real cause of his disastrous foreign policy – himself
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‘Our Injuries Will Heal, but the Georgian Government’s Reputation Will Not’
Georgia’s accelerating authoritarian slide into Russia’s orbit has now seen its government launch a full-scale Belarusian-style crackdown on opposition voices.
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‘I Had to Argue for My Right to Vote’: Voters Report Being Denied a Say in Local Elections Due to Strict Photo ID Law
Voters say they struggled to prove their identities as polling stations enforced England’s draconian photo ID rules
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The Labour Scandal that’s Arguably Bigger than the Angela Rayner Story
The new Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething and the £200,000 donation that could trigger a leadership crisis
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‘With his Poll Ratings Sinking, Sunak Goes For One More Attempt at Scapegoating the Vulnerable: The “Skivers” Revisited’
The Prime Minister’s announcements on sickness and disability benefits were not just another assault on an already punitive welfare system – they were nuclear-level gaslighting, writes Mary O’Hara
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Retired Social Worker Who Faced Two Years in Prison for Holding Up Sign Outside Climate Trial is Cleared
Campaigners say the judge throwing out Government claims that Trudi Warner was in contempt of court is a victory for free speech
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The Heartbreaking Stories of Life in Britain for Victims of No-Fault Evictions – Five Years After They Were Meant to be Outlawed
Despite the Conservatives pledging to get rid of no-fault evictions in 2019 landlords are using it in record numbers with a 28% increase in 2023
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Brexit Ruined the Stock Market – and Not Even Rejoining the EU Will Fix It
A leading writer on the economy explains why the underperformance of the stock market should shock and concern everyone
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The Free Speech Union’s Key Role in Developing Government Legislation
Karam Bales examines the close links between the FSU, the Office for Students and the Government’s drive to legislate on freedom of speech
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‘Trapped’: Tenants Consider ‘Rent Strikes’ in Response to Sky-Rocketing Service Fees
The first quarter of 2024 has seen a fourfold increase in tenants investigating how to notify landlords of their intention to strike
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The Orbánisation of British Politics: Farage and Braverman Headline with Hungarian Prime Minister at National Conservatism Conference
NatCon Brussels is creating a network of radical right speakers from the UK, Europe and the US which often aim to roll back reproductive and sexuality rights
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‘Trump’s Second Presidential Run and the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse Have a Lot In Common’
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Bridge collapsed after one part of the structure was hit by a ship. The disaster is a perfect metaphor for the crisis Europe may face if Trump is re-elected, writes Alexandra Hall
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Councils Could be Paying £530 Million a Year to House Vulnerable Children in Unsafe Homes
Former Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield branded the figures from an investigation by Byline Times as ‘extraordinary’ and said that the system was ‘completely dysfunctional’
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A ‘Damning Indictment’: Eight Million Voters May Be Disenfranchised in General Election, MPs Find
The UK’s electoral registration arrangements are a ‘threat to the rights of British voters’
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‘The Country has Noticed the Conservatives’ Lack of Levelling Up’
Since Boris Johnson’s 2019 pledge, the public has received more of the same – austerity and higher taxes from the Government and, in many cases, cash-strapped local councils
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Is Stealth NHS Privatisation Happening in Plain Sight?
NHS doctor David Oliver examines the evidence of ever-increasing use of provision from private healthcare companies that bring a profit motive to the service
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Michael Gove: The Extremist
Whether laughing at racism, or associating with the promoters of eugenics and anti-Muslim think tanks, the Communities Secretary is indicted by his own definition
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Patriotic Alternative: The Threat from the Far Right
A revitalised Europe wide white supremacist movement is growing in the UK, gaining recruits through social media and online gaming
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The European Congress of Families and The International Organization for the Family
Karam Bales delves into a conference with ties to a Russian backed anti-gender network
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Jeremy Hunt’s Tax Cuts are Paid for by Slashing Public Services – So Why is Labour So Silent About It?
The Government’s ‘slash and crash’ Budget was left largely unscathed by Keir Starmer’s party. Why?
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From The Cradle to The Grave: The Abandonment of Our Social Contract
Children are dying younger and growing up shorter, while the elderly’s last years are more painful and desperate than they once were. We have normalised the life of our society falling apart, writes Danny Dorling
