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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Emboldened Opposition and a Galvanised Movement: What the End of Roe v Wade Means for Abortion Around the World
The overturning of the seminal 1973 ruling by the US Supreme Court has been met with a mixed reaction by pro-abortion activists globally, reports Sian Norris
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Charity Fallacy: Private Schools Estimated to Get £3 Billion a Year from Tax Exemptions
Sam Bright explores a new report revealing how exclusive academic institutions skirt their charitable commitments while relying heavily on the taxpayer
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Pledging to Rejoin the European Single Market would be a Brave Move from our Opposition Parties
As Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood calls for the UK to rejoin the EU Single Market, a Liberal Democrat peer asks cautious opposition parties to consider its benefits
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Lessons from American Progressives: Ro Khanna, Sanders Presidential Campaigner with a Broader Reach
Larry Cohen profiles the US Democratic Representative for California who, despite representing arguably the wealthiest place on Earth, is focused on appealing to working America
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The Dark Money Operation Seeking to Reshape American Democracy
Matt Bernardini reports on how right-wing groups are attempting to use January 6 conspiracy theories to change the ways Americans vote
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The Inflation of Free Market Falsehoods
Thomas Perrett explores how the current cost of living crisis has spurred a new wave of Thatcherite economics
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Werleman’s Worldview: Does Twitter Want to be Complicit in Indian Muslim Genocide?
CJ Werleman’s Twitter account has been banned in India, along with a number of other prominent journalists. Why is the social media giant complying with the Modi regime’s requests?
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The End of Roe v Wade is Just the Beginning
The decision to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling will strip human rights from millions of women and girls and threatens the rights of minority groups across the US
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Britain’s Other Oligarchs
The Byline Intelligence Team explores how Russian roubles are not the only currency cleaned at London’s laundromat
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‘Pure Insanity’ – January 6 Committee Hearings Suggest ‘Trump’s Future Freedom’ in Question
Heidi Siegmund Cuda reports on a week of damning Republican witnesses who alleged the former President knowingly spread conspiracy theories and instigated violence
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End of the Brexit Era? Wakefield Gives Labour a Second Chance
The country has moved on from Brexit and won’t be distracted by ‘culture wars’ – where does this leave Johnson and the ‘Red Wall’?
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Boris Johnson’s ‘Culture War’ Runs Into the Ground in Tiverton and Wakefield
The Prime Minister’s focus on ‘wedge issues’ is turning voters away from the Conservative Party, as it suffers two heavy by-election defeats, reports Adam Bienkov
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The Conservative Party’s Great Rail Betrayal
Sam Bright inspects how the Government is undermining its ‘Levelling Up’ mission through a new era of public transport austerity
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How Priti Patel Got the European Court of Human Rights Wrong
Professor Rory O’Connell unpicks some of the Home Secretary’s misunderstandings and misrepresentations of the ruling that prevented the removal of asylum seekers to Rwanda
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The Tories’ Big Money ‘Summer Party’ – What We Know and Don’t Know
Sam Bright explores the facts and the mysteries surrounding Boris Johnson’s fundraising bash
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How the ‘Big Society’ Commodified Poor People
TJ Coles inspects how David Cameron’s widely-scorned idea ended up institutionalising a smaller state
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Civil Disservice: The Art and Craft of Lying for Britain
Former diplomat Alexandra Hall Hall charts how she was employed to bend the truth – and the consequences of this for our current politics
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Anatomy of a Cover-Up: How Number 10 Killed the Times Story About Boris and Carrie Johnson
The Prime Minister succeeded in making the Times remove their story, without a single legal threat, or even an on-the-record denial, reports Adam Bienkov
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‘Every Labour Government in History has Left Unemployment Higher’ – A Fact Check
Sam Bright refutes the Conservative Party’s widely deployed claim about Labour’s economic record
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‘Carriegate’: How the Prime Minister and his Hacks Scratch Each Others’ Backs
The mystery of a disappearing story about Boris Johnson’s wife once again confirms the merger between the political and media classes distorting British democracy, says Hardeep Matharu
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Boris Johnson Considers Axing Ethics Advisor Role After Lord Geidt Quits
The Prime Minister’s unethical conduct has forced a long list of his appointees to resign. Now he is considering scrapping the role overseeing his conduct, reports Adam Bienkov
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Home Truths: Boris Johnson is Weaponising the Housing Crisis
The Government’s new housing proposals reinforce a cynical narrative about ‘skivers versus strivers’ perpetuated by the Conservatives over the last 12 years, argues Sascha Lavin
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Johnson is Attempting to Revive his Prorogation Ploy
His unlawful suspension of Parliament in 2019 is now informing the Prime Minister’s last-ditch attempt to save his political career, argues Sam Bright
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What are the Benefits of Being a Tory Donor?
Sam Bright reviews the perks enjoyed by the big money patrons of the Conservative Party
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January 6 Committee Hearings Day 2: ‘The Big Grift’
The second day of the investigation into the Capitol insurrection suggested Donald Trump misled his supporters about the outcome of the 2020 election as part of a cynical money-making scheme
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Banks v Cadwalladr: Shining a Torch in the Darkness
Peter Jukes looks at the precarious persistence of investigative journalism in Britain – especially when it comes to Russia, Trump and Brexit – and the importance of the public interest defence
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From Rwanda to Northern Ireland: The Failures of the Government Legal Department
Barrister Gareth Roberts assesses the breakdown in respect for the rule of law within Downing Street
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What Is Being Misconstrued About the Banks v Cadwalladr Case
Sam Bright unpicks the spin surrounding the high-profile defamation case
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The Government Continues to Stoke Burning Embers in Northern Ireland
As Boris Johnson prepares to change the Northern Ireland Protocol, Jonathan Lis explores how his recklessness, a hard Brexit and lasting questions of identity are threatening peace once again
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‘Trump was at the Centre of this Conspiracy’: January 6 Committee Hearings Begin
Heidi Siegmund Cuda reports on the first day of the Congressional Committee investigating the insurrection at the Capital and allegations of an ‘attempted coup’ by the former President
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Dear Boris, Your Nihilism Betrays Your Grandfather’s Legacy – He’d be Appalled
An open letter to the Prime Minister by his first cousin once removed
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‘Perhaps the Most Shameful Episode of the Pandemic’: £4 Billion of PPE to Go Up in Smoke
David Hencke has the details of a new parliamentary report showing how masses of equipment bought by the Government is set for the incinerator
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Lessons from American Progressives: Jamie Raskin, Lead Investigator of Trump’s Conspiracy
Katrina vanden Heuvel reflects on why the Congressman and former constitutional law professor’s politics can help guide the US to a more humane and radical future
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Who Are Johnson’s 22 Big Money Backers? And Did They Influence the No Confidence Vote?
Sam Bright and Max Colbert dig into the potential impact of Tory donors on the survival of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister
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Charity linked to Viktor Orbán Wants to ‘Take Over’ British Schools to Promote Far-Right Pro-Russia Propaganda
Nafeez Ahmed and Karam Bales report on a ‘free speech’ campaign with ties to the Hungarian Government and its record of curtailing freedom of expression
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Johnson’s Culture War Against Judges Having a ‘Chilling Effect’ on Rule of Law, Warns Parliamentary Report
Leading MPs and peers express their concerns about the Government’s attacks on the independent judiciary, reports David Hencke
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Black Ties and Dark Money: The Conservative Cash-for-Access Machine
As the party’s biggest donors come out fighting for Boris Johnson, Sam Bright and Max Colbert inspect how the Conservatives continue to sell democracy to the highest bidder
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Boris Johnson is Now Trump Without the Popularity
The Prime Minister is determined to cling on to power – no matter how much more damage he does to his own party and the country, writes Adam Bienkov
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The Boris Johnson Era has Shown how Vulnerable the UK is to Electoral Autocracy
Partygate showed that the UK’s creaking constitution gives little protection against a Prime Minister determined to ignore convention and the rule of law, writes Adam Bienkov
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European Parliament Appears to Censor Report on Press Censorship in EU
The European Parliament removed a reference to Greece’s low ranking on the Press Freedom Index
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Boris Johnson ‘Bending Rules’ to Protect Alexander Lebedev as Russian Oligarch Cuts UK Ties
The Former KGB officer appears to be cutting his financial ties to the UK as Johnson’s Government refuses to join Canada in sanctioning him, reports Adam Bienkov
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Mainstreamed White Supremacy Sits Behind Social Media Hate of Kamala Harris
A new report reveals the horrifying abuse sent on Twitter to America’s first woman of colour Vice President – but such racist hate is becoming normalised in the US
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The Sue Gray Report: The Rotten Heart of a Political Culture
The ‘Partygate’ scandal represents a systemic failure of multiple British institutions – with the fault not solely lying with Boris Johnson, says Jonathan Lis
