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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Three Sensible, Non-Radical Things Labour Could Do to Reform our News Media
Nothing drastic is required if a new government is to tackle the obvious crisis in the way we get our news, while the benefits of change could be enormous
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Stiff Upper Lip: Who is Behind the Satirical “News” Website Being Promoted By Conservative Peer on GB News?
Byline Times digs into a new hard-right outfit boosted by Lord Bailey of Partygate
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Johnson’s Mystery Peers: The Questions Charlotte Owen and Ross Kempsell Should Answer Over their New Peerages
What do you do to get a seat in the Lords?
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The Conservatives Skirted Close to the Limits of Electoral Law to Keep Uxbridge and South Ruislip Tory
Why was the governing party so shy in Uxbridge?
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One Million Teenagers Fail to Claim Child Trust Fund Money – After HMRC Steps Away from Notifying them of the Cash
A report by the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee says more should be done to help young adults trace their funds
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More Donations to Politicians to Go Hidden from Public Eye as Michael Gove Quietly Changes the Rules Ahead of Election
Elections watchdog raises concerns as party spending limits could rise by 52% – while ministers keep donations to under £11,000 anonymous.
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Farage and Coutts: It’s Not McCarthyism – It’s Customer Due Diligence
But was the bank’s research into Farage diligent enough? asks Tom Scott.
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The Tory donor, Soviet-born Billionaire and Fossil Fuel Interests Bankrolling British Politics
Policy Exchange, Institute for Economic Affairs, Global Warming Policy Foundation and co refuse to name their donors. But Peter Geoghegan has found recently published US tax documents that reveal important new details about who funds these secretive think tanks
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Fake News: Conservatives Slammed for Party By-Election Leaflets Pretending to Be Local Newspapers
Tories are using “fake” local newspapers in all three by-elections
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The Covid Inquiry Has Still Not Been Given All of Boris Johnson’s WhatsApps
A spokesperson for the Covid Inquiry told Byline Times they still did not know when they would be given access to the messages on the former Prime Minister’s phone
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Ukrainian Refugees Exploited: ‘In Britain, We Have No Rights – We Are Nothing At All’
Byline Times speaks to Ukrainian women taken advantage of in the UK’s cleaning and hospitality sectors
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Government Criticised for ‘Panic Buying’ PPE and Setting Up ‘VIP Lane’ for Contracts with Conflict of Interest Risk ‘High by Design’
A new report by the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee found that the Government was driven by ‘an overriding impetus to buy’ PPE during the pandemic – with ‘limited’ safeguards in place
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The Failing ‘Forty New Hospitals’ Programme is a Perfect Illustration of Our Broken Politics
An official report reveals why the Conservative Party is unfit to be in charge of the NHS
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With their Bosses Earning Twice that of Other Charities, Have Housing Associations ‘Lost their Social Purpose?’
The UK’s 13 biggest housing associations paid their executives over £22m with bosses earning almost double the average for the UK’s biggest charities
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Westminster’s Winner-Takes-All Voting System Skewed Britain Towards a Hard Brexit, Report Suggests
The Democratic Unionist Party had an outsized voice in Westminster during Britain’s Brexit negotiations.
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Can we Trust Angela Rayner’s Promise to Clean ‘Bad Chaps’ Out of Government?
Labour’s Deputy Leader made a welcome pledge to end the ‘good chaps’ approach to Government, which allowed sleaze and corruption to persist under the Conservatives.
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‘While “the Government” is a Thing Political Parties Fight to Own and Control, Real Government Will Remain a Dream’
Governments are run by political parties and for political interests – but they shouldn’t be, argues philosopher AC Grayling
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‘A Deeply Concerning Precedent in a Democratic Society’: Council of Europe Shares Criticism Over Charging Journalists to Cover Party Conference
The move from the governing party has sparked concerns over press freedom
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Voters Believe Rishi Sunak is Secretly Planning to Privatise the NHS
Six-in-ten voters don’t trust the Government’s promise to keep the National Health Service in public hands
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Blatant Lies and Subtle Untruths about Russia’s War in Ukraine
What are tankies, vatniks, and ‘useful idiots’, and why do they deride traumatised Ukrainians as warmongers and Nazis?
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An Empire of Lies: Prigozhin’s Absence Won’t End Russian Meddling in Western Politics
Tyrannies have to act, constantly. Thinking comes later. So Russian disinformation will not end with the demise of one oligarch
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Privacy Battle Rages Over Government Plans which ‘Could End’ Encrypted Messaging Apps like WhatsApp and Telegram
A global coalition is urging ministers and lords to protect end-to-end encryption in the Online Safety Bill
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Labour and ‘The Purge’: Leadership’s Direction Sparks Revolt Among MPs and Activists
Concerns are increasing that Labour Leader Keir Starmer risks creating a stifling monoculture in the party
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Hypocrisy and Tribalism: The Dangers of Our ‘So What?’ Political Culture
Renowned weapons expert Dan Kaszeta, who was blacklisted by the Government over his tweets, explores how ‘amoral familism’ has come to penetrate our public life
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Fears of Discrimination as Scale of Voters Denied a Vote by Lack of Photo ID in By-Elections to Remain ‘Unknown’
The Electoral Commission has highlighted a black-hole in its research on the impact of voter ID ahead of the next General Election
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‘The Case for PR Rests on Arguments Around Socio-Economic and Political Justice’
Changing the voting system would be a driver of achieving greater equality of income and wealth, argues a Labour peer
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‘I Vote, Therefore I Am’: The Psychology of Belief and Brexit
There remains on both sides of the political divide an entrenched minority whose belief system serves as an extension of their identity
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Public Overwhelmingly Opposed to Liz Truss Dishing Out Gongs and Peerages in Resignation Honours
Exclusive polling for Byline Times suggests that the public rejects the short-lived Prime Minister being able to create new peers in the Lords
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Homeless Charity CEO Accused of Foul-Mouthed Tirade at Union as Pay Dispute Turns Toxic
Staff of St Mungo’s charity have begun an indefinite strike over pay, following allegations of a ‘25 minute shouting match’ at union reps by CEO Emma Haddad
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Laundering the Lebedevs
How Boris Johnson ushered a ‘former’ KGB agent and his son into the British establishment – while most of the media looked the other way
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The Lecturers’ Union and the Betrayal of the Intellectuals
Many academics in both Ukraine and the UK are horrified by the Putin-enabling posturing of far-left factions within the UCU
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UK Democracy ‘In Retreat’ Despite Ousting of Boris Johnson, New Report Finds
According to the research, ministers have pushed through changes to Britain’s political system that pose ‘considerable risks’ for the country’s democratic future
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The Great British Vote Robbery: Report Reveals Democratic Disaster of UK’s New Voter ID Laws
Electoral Commission finds that at least 14,000 people were denied their fundamental right to vote. Next year’s General Election could be much worse
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Lords Demand Political Parties Launch Tougher Checks on Foreign Donations – But Ministers Set to Block Move
There are fears that foreign powers can use proxies to channel cash into UK political parties
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Over 200,000 Demand Rishi Sunak Blocks Liz Truss from Appointing Pals to House of Lords and Getting Huge ‘Annual Taxpayer Bung’
Even her former aides are livid at the plans
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Russian Roulette: Foreign Interference and how the Conservatives are Gambling with our Elections
Despots and kleptocrats have their eyes trained on British politics – and our laws are doing little to protect us
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Rishi Sunak’s Cowardice over Boris Johnson’s Lies is a Mark of Shame on his Government
The Prime Minister has refused to stand up against his predecessor’s shameful record of dishonesty
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It is in Former Brexit Voters that the Flame of a Truly Impactful Rejoin Movement is Now Being Kindled
Many of the leave voters George Llewelyn met in 2021 were dissatisfied Eurosceptics who are now ardent rejoiners. How did it happen?
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Hundreds of COVID-Related Contract Documents – Worth More Than £7 Billion – Have Still Not Been Published
Despite Government claims, a total of 272 contracts by NHS England and NHS Supply Chain Coordination have not been made public
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Planning for No Deal Brexit Under Boris Johnson Scuppered UK’s Readiness for a Pandemic, Covid Inquiry Hears
Report exposes delayed pandemic preparation due to government machine having to focus fully on avoiding a crash-out exit from the EU without a deal.
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Boris Johnson’s Privileges Committee Verdict Exposes Rishi Sunak’s Complicity
The Prime Minister is deeply complicit in every part of Boris Johnson’s disgraceful period at the top of British politics
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Workers ‘Will Find a Way’ Around New Conservative Anti-Strike Laws – Including by Pulling ‘Sickies’
Former TUC General Secretary says the “ingenuity of working people” will prevail over anti-union legislation.
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Government Pushes Through ‘Deeply Concerning’ Clampdown on Protest Rights as Labour Lords Stand Back
With minimal parliamentary scrutiny, the Conservatives pass controversial changes to protest laws that could criminalise any disruptive demonstration
