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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‘Fixing Broken Britain Starts with Changing a Broken Light Bulb’
UK democracy needs radical reform – but there is little evidence our leaders are ready to take up the challenge, writes Alun Drake
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Yes, Lord David Cameron Could Come Back as Prime Minister – and he Wouldn’t Need to Run for MP
New analysis sheds light on a constitutional quirk that allows a member of the House of Lords – or someone outside Parliament altogether – to become Prime Minister
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Plans to Bar Politicians from Meeting Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Climate Activists are “Dangerous and Authoritarian” Say MPs
If MPs in other countries were barred from meeting civil society groups, the regimes would be “condemned and investigated” Dawn Butler told Byline Times
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People in North of England ‘Live Shorter, Sicker, Poorer Lives Simply Because of Where They Were Born’
A new report has found it will take 55 years for those living in the north-east to have the same healthy life expectancy now enjoyed in London and the south-east of England
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Rishi Sunak Brushes Off Calls to Commit to an ‘Honest’ Election Campaign
The Conservative benches appeared to burst with laughter at the suggestion
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Under the Radar: Unmasking the Coordinated Reach of Russian Doppelgänger Bots
A new generation of information warfare tools still pose the same threat to Ukraine, unity in Europe and the US elections
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Palestine Protesters Vow to Keep Marching Despite Fresh Clampdown Threats, as Muslim Council Blasts Islamophobic Rhetoric
Palestine protest organisers believe senior Government officials are placing heavy pressure on police to clamp down on their demonstrations
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‘A Nationalist Uprising’: Islamophobia and the Bannonisation of British Politics
As Liz Truss joins Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson as the latest recruit to Steve Bannon’s dangerous and undemocratic internationalist ‘anti-globalism’ – more online information warfare and hate will be the result, writes Peter Jukes
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‘Fighting the Enlightenment?’: What Do Danny Kruger’s New Conservatives Really Want?
Among all the new forms of Conservatism springing up in the run up to the next election, Kruger’s New Conservatives appear to be the most religious in their “holy war against the Left”
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‘Starmer Should Ignore the Westminster Pearl-Clutching: Why Labour is Right to Look at Citizens’ Assemblies’
It’s time for politicians to show leadership and give away some power, writes Compass’ Frances Foley
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David Meller: Exploring the Political Nexus Behind the Michael Gove Ally Given Controversial £164 million PPE Deals
After being awarded six large PPE contracts the Conservative donor was last year elevated to the prestigious UK Board of Trade by Kemi Badenoch
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‘Prince William Is Part of the Problem’: Plan for 24 New Homes for Homeless Dubbed ‘Drop in the Ocean’ in Cornwall Amid Mounting Crisis
Activists in Cornwall say the scheme – while welcome – will barely touch the sides as 23,000 languish on a council waiting list
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‘There is Something Deeply Soviet About Withholding Alexey Navalny’s Body’
The suspicious death of the Russian opposition activist and behaviour over his remains shows little has changed in the Kremlin
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Revealed: Five Politically-Connected Healthcare Giants Rake in NHS Contracts Worth Billions
Bridgepoint, Bupa, Centene, Spire and UnitedHealth have been implicated in a litany of scandals and controversies in the UK and America
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Viktor Orbán is Battling the Greatest Political Crisis of His Tenure
A scandal involving a pardon to a paedophile’s accomplice has already taken down Hungary’s former justice minister, President, and the head of the Hungarian Reformed Church
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Putin’s Mission Accomplished: Alexey Navalny is Dead
Navalny’s death proves that no serious political force can challenge the Kremlin’s dictator – but it seriously undermines Russia’s image in the world
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Another New Anti-Immigration Pressure Group is Launched from Tufton Street and Met with Reams of Media Coverage
The mysterious case of a tiny new ‘think tank’ launching – and being immediately granted gullible coverage from right-wing papers
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Conservative Donor Who Won £164m PPE Contracts Admits Deleting Emails
David Meller was referred to the ‘VIP Lane’ by his long-term political ally Michael Gove
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These Elections Will be Fought Dirty and in the Shadows. VoteWatch Will Help Shine a Light
We need your help to follow the money, call out corrupt campaigning, and monitor voter suppression wherever it occurs
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Tucker Carlson Interview: Putin Reveals Inferiority Complex as He Blames Boris Johnson for Continued War
In his much-vaunted interview with the Russian leader, Tucker Carlson simply allowed Putin to repeat well-worn propaganda points. But who is Putin actually talking to?
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Third Round of Anti-Protest Laws Imposed as Civil Liberties Groups Warn of Creeping Authoritarianism
Just one day after Suella Braverman’s appeal for more stringent protest restrictions, the UK Government has unveiled a new set of anti-protest laws.
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‘It’s Like GB News Regulating Ofcom’: House of Lords Slams New Government-Imposed Strategy for Elections Watchdog
Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove now sets the overarching “strategy and policy” of the previously independent Electoral Commission.
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‘The Feudal Leasehold System That Threatens a Repeat of the Grenfell Disaster’
A blaze in a West London block of flats last week reveals how the leasehold system is still putting lives at risk, writes Labour MP Barry Gardiner
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Ten Million Voters Still Don’t Know They Need Voter ID
Rishi Sunak’s Government has been accused of trying to “gerrymander” the next general election by making it harder for certain groups to vote
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‘Straight Out of the Republican Playbook’: Conservatives Impose New Strategy on Elections Watchdog in Crucial Election Year
The new Government-set priorities for the Electoral Commission make no mention of AI or misinformation – but plenty of mentions of almost non-existent voter fraud
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Labour’s ‘Intensely Relaxed’ Approach to Bankers’ Bonuses Tells Us a Lot About a Starmer Government
The party’s U-turn on the bankers’ bonus cap comes just months after the party campaigned against scrapping it
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Dark Money Lobby Group Denies Sponsoring Liz Truss ‘PopCon’ Platform Set Up by Former Director
Popular Conservatism is registered to a company whose director used to be the Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs
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Why Is Boris Johnson Endorsing a Second Trump Presidency in the Name of Ukraine?
Donald Trump has not stood up to Vladimir Putin and will not stand up to Russian President if he returns to the White House, writes Paul Niland
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Slow Uptake of Brits Abroad Registering to Vote – But Many Say They Will Vote to Kick Out Conservatives
Newly empowered overseas voters tell Byline Times they are ‘sick of racist rhetoric’ and Britain’s Brexit fallout.
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Two Million More Brits Living Abroad Now Eligible to Donate to UK Parties as Ministers Scrap Time Limit
It’s the latest in a series of constitutional changes by ministers – including enforcing photo ID for in-person voters and hiking the spending limits for parties.
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‘Not a Bullet for Ukraine’: The Rise and Fall, and Rise Again, of Slovakia’s Populist Prime Minister
Robert Fico rode to electoral victory for the third time on a wave of strongman populism, media capture and pro-Russia rhetoric. But are the cracks beginning to appear?
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Labour’s Andy Burnham Says Just ‘50 People Run the UK’ as Mayor Hits Out at Westminster and Sunak’s Scrappage of HS2
The Greater Manchester Mayor wants the UK to adopt a new codified constitution, proportional representation and an overhauled House of Lords
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Labour Appears to Steer Away from Fully-Elected House of Lords Despite Cronyism Scandals
The Shadow Minister for Democracy also hits out at voter ID – but it is still unclear if Labour will scrap it
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Keir Starmer Faces an Immediate Test of His Pledge to ‘Crackdown on Cronyism’
The Labour leader’s decision to make restoring trust in public life the centre piece of his election campaign, raises questions about his own record
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The Mone Scandal Shows New Laws Around Offshore Ownership Aren’t Working
New legislation designed to limit the activities of Russian oligarchs seems to be more honoured in the breach than the observance
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‘Those Who Enjoyed the Post-1945 Social Progress of the West Were Made Complacent By It: We Forgot Its Price is Vigilance’
AC Grayling explores the factors that have driven the rise of ‘illiberal democracy’
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COVID Cronyism and Mone – The Tip of the Iceberg: Byline Times’ Full Story of the PPE Cash Carousel
Byline Times has been unravelling the dealings behind the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the UK since the very early days of the pandemic. Here’s what we learnt – and what we still need answers to…
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Revealed: Westminster Staff’s Second Jobs
Andrew Kersley takes a close look at the register of interests for Members’ Secretaries and Research Assistants and finds some have surprising other roles
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Michelle Mone’s Lawyer Distances Himself from Baroness’ Claim She Lied to the Press on his Advice
A lawyer acting for the lawyer of Baroness Michelle Mone told Byline Times it would be defamatory to suggest David McKie ‘knowingly represented a false position’
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Government Accused of “Destroying” Independence of UK’s Election Watchdog as New “Priorities” Imposed on Electoral Commission
The Government is now able to steer the strategy and focus of the UK’s elections body.
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Respected Health Professionals Feel ‘Duped’ into Appearing in Michelle Mone PPE Documentary
A film about the PPE scandal did not declare to some contributors it was being funded by a company that won £203 million in Government PPE contracts
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UK’s Politics Now Wide Open to Foreign Donations, Peers Warn, as Government Scraps Time Limit on Brits’ Donations from Abroad
Swing seats could be decided by Brits living in Moscow or Iran following changes to election rules
