SubscriptionsColumn / Investigation: Crypto Politics
Dark money, lobbying, regulatory capture, state institutions hollowed by donor factions, foreign interference, and the financialisation of political power.
-
1,500 Pledge to Risk Arrest at ‘Largest Ever’ Protest Against Palestine Action Ban
Major demonstration in Trafalgar Square on Saturday could nearly double total of 1,600 arrested under terrorism laws since ban came into effect in July, organisers claim
-
Calls for New Inquiry Into Russian Interference After Reform’s Former Welsh Leader Pleads Guilty to Bribery
As the Kremlin steps up its political interference efforts in the West, is it time for a new Russia Report?
-
The Attack Lines That Could Hurt Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Hardest
A new mega poll of voters reveals where Reform UK are most vulnerable to political attacks from their opponents
-
Reform UK’s Crypto Donations Put Under Spotlight as Experts Warn It’s ‘Impossible to Trace’ Foreign Cash
Anti-corruption campaigners raise the alarm over loopholes that could allow large sums of untraceable money to slip past checks
-
‘America’s Allies in Europe and Asia Are Stuck Between Trump and a Hard Place’
Trump’s Presidency has exposed the weaknesses at the heart of our global security alliances, argues Alexandra Hall Hall
-
Nigel Farage’s Reform a Bigger Far-Right Threat Than the BNP, Says UK’s Leading Anti-Racism Campaigner
Hope not Hate’s CEO Nick Lowles says Reform’s rise is mainstreaming ideas that were previously taboo even on parts of the far-right
-
Farage’s Trillion Pound Black Hole: The Real Cost of Reform UK’s Mass Deportation Plan
Exclusive: Reform’s plan, which it claims would net huge savings over the coming decades, would actually cost the UK about £70-90bn over the next ten years alone, new analysis of official statistics and forecasts suggests
-
Where Is the Opposition to Nigel Farage’s Immoral Mass Deportation Plan?
Keir Starmer’s Government’s refusal to explicitly condemn the Reform leader’s plans to tear thousands of families and communities apart is only clearing his path to Downing Street, argues Adam Bienkov
-
‘What’s the Point of the Lib Dems in a Post-Liberal Era?’
As Ed Davey’s Party gathers for its annual conference, Neal Lawson asks whether the party can still prosper in an increasingly illiberal political era
-
Trump Protest Van Highlighting Epstein Links Was Blocked by Police Within Minutes of Approaching Windsor Castle
Officers drove away the advertising van showing an image of the US President with the convicted paedophile as nearby activists and journalists were questioned
-
‘Trump’s UK State Visit Highlights the Death of US Soft Power’
Trump is not just hostile to the concept of soft power, but actively working to dismantle the institutions which promote it, argues Alexandra Hall Hall
-
Reform UK Council Backs Climate Denial Motion Saying Man Made Climate Change Is ‘Unproven’
The motion denying the existence of man-made climate change comes after Reform councils across the country ripped up local environmental schemes
-
Deadly Memes: Tyler Robinson’s Far-Right ‘Groyper’ Ties
Despite initial reports and President Trump’s claim that the suspect in the murder of Charlie Kirk was a ‘leftist’, two pieces of evidence point the other way
-
From Epstein to Starmer: Mapping Peter Thiel’s Web of Influence in the UK
The tech billionaire Trump-backer is rapidly gaining influence over politics and public services in the UK, reports Peter Jukes
-
Reform UK Accused of ‘Betraying Residents’ for Benefit of Fossil Fuel Donors as More Net Zero Targets Scrapped
Nigel Farage’s party is scrapping green initiatives in local authorities across the country after taking millions of pounds in donations from oil and gas interests
-
‘Calling Reform Racist Doesn’t Work’ Say Unions as They Shift Strategy to Counter Nigel Farage’s Party
Union leaders are changing tack amidst rising support for Nigel Farage’s party among their members
-
BBC Accused of Pro-Reform Bias as Lib Dems Launch Campaign to End ‘Wall to Wall’ Farage Coverage
They accuse the BBC of “following Farage around like a lost puppy” and have complained to Ofcom to demand fair coverage
-
How Reform UK Is Importing Conspiracy-Fuelled MAGA Politics to the UK
Reform’s annual conference was filled with anti-vaxxers, climate change deniers and senior advisers to the Trump administration
-
The Big Tobacco, Climate Denial Lobbyist and Crypto Firms Sponsoring the Reform UK Conference
Big corporations and lobby groups are putting their cash behind the rise of Nigel Farage’s party
-
Reform Deputy Leader Owns £4m Mansion and Belgravia Pad While Attacking Angela Rayner’s ‘Property Mountain’
EXCLUSIVE: Richard Tice MP co-owns Buckinghamshire estate with tennis court and lake – despite his attacks on Rayner’s £800,000 flat purchase
-
Reform UK Conference: Anti-Vax Misinformation Doctor Given Prime Health Slot
Leading doctors have accused Nigel Farage of putting lives at risk by letting Aseem Malhotra give the only health-related address at the conference
-
Kemi Badenoch’s ‘Free Speech’ Conservatives Ban Byline Times From Party Conference
The ban on covering the party’s annual gathering came despite Badenoch’s repeated commitment to “fight” for free speech and a free press
-
Palestine Action Arrests Condemned as ‘Deeply Alarming’ While British Press Remains Silent
The Liberal Democrats described the arrests of campaigners against the ban on the group as a “dangerous precedent” for free speech, yet the British press remains largely silent about it
-
Sacked, Expelled, or in the Dock: All the Reform UK Councillors Nigel Farage Has Lost in Just Four Months
Party faces questions over candidate screening after string of resignations, expulsions and criminal investigations
-
Undue Influence: The Reform-Supporting Online Network Using AI to Monetise Anti-Migrant Hate
A prominent social media campaign for Brexit and Boris Johnson has morphed into a large-scale network boosting Reform and pushing anti-migrant hate, reports Katherine Denkinson
-
Reform UK’s Darren Grimes Under Investigation Over Fake AI Asylum Video of Keir Starmer
Grimes faces an official complaint to the council after using manipulated imagery and attacking asylum seekers as ‘deviants’
-
Far Right and the Press Accused of ‘Weaponising Violence Against Women’ to Fuel Hatred of Migrants
More than 100 women’s rights groups condemn politicians and the media for spreading false claims about migrants while failing to back calls to fund actual support for sexual violence victims
-
Reform UK Councillors ‘Exploited Legal Loophole’ to Dodge Spending Limits on Farage Election Leaflets
Exclusive: At least 12 newly elected Reform UK councillors in Durham did not declare costs for mass mailings from party leader that attacked local council’s spending
-
The Martyrdom of Saint Lucy
The right is desperately seeking to make a martyr out of Lucy Connolly in order to distract from the real victims of the hate she helped to spread, argues Otto English
-
Concierge Nationalism: How the Far-Right Is Selling Extremism as a Lifestyle Service
Vigilantes with links to Neo-Nazi groups are whipping up fear about migrants while soliciting donations for accompanying children to supposed safety
-
Shock and Orr: Meet the Farage-Supporting ‘Philosopher King’ of British Authoritarianism
The Cambridge professor providing the intellectual underpinning for JD Vance and Nigel Farage, is described by one academic colleague as being ‘more Tommy Robinson than St Thomas Aquinas’
-
The Trump Administration’s Partisan Global Human Rights Report Will Have ‘Devastating Consequences’
The Trump administration’s attempts to downplay human rights abuses globally suggests they want to make it easier to violate them domestically, argues Alexandra Hall Hall
-
The Reform and Conservative Politicians Mingling With Neo-Nazis and Fascists at Asylum Hotel Protests
The recent wave of anti-migrant protests are providing a bridge between right-wing elected politicians and extremist groups
-
‘Dancing with the Devil’: Unite Condemned For Invite to Reform’s Anti-Trade Union Mayor Andrea Jenkyns
Leading union criticised for reaching out to anti-trade union politician and Nigel Farage ally Andrea Jenkyns, despite her anti-worker stances
-
Reform UK Accused of Breaking Climate Law as Opponents Challenge Local Net Zero Ban
Opposition councillors in one of the party’s flagship new councils are challenging the legality of its decision to ban all climate and Net Zero pledges
-
The Alaska Summit: ‘You Can’t Negotiate With a Lion When Your Head Is Inside Its Jaws’
Denis Mikhailov, a Russian dissident lawyer now exiled to Poland, explains how Trump’s generosity to Putin only solidifies his tyranny
-
Founders of ‘Apolitical’ Patrol Group in Bournemouth Include Asylum Hotel Activist and Reform Candidate
EXCLUSIVE: One leading ‘Safeguard Force’ figure previously expressed hope Reform would “set the world on fire” if elected. Another shared anti-migrant memes featuring weapons
-
Bankrupt Firm of Reform UK’s Waste-Busting Local Government Chief Owes Taxpayer £36,000
EXCLUSIVE: Cllr Jaymey McIvor declared his company insolvent months before becoming party’s director tasked with stamping out council waste. Taxpayers are likely to pick up the tab. Olly Haynes reports
-
European Threats to Free Speech? JD Vance Should Look in the Mirror
While the US Vice President warns about censorship, the CEO of Index on Censorship is again wary of visiting America after writing this piece
-
Nigel Farage Claimed There’s ‘No Money in Politics’ Just Before Running for £91,000+ MP Job
EXCLUSIVE: Unearthed comments show Reform UK leader dismissing MP salary, just weeks before becoming Britain’s highest-earning parliamentarian
-
‘Clickbait and Chaos’ — 100 days of Reform UK Running Kent County Council
Saturday marks 100 days since Reform UK won 57 of the 81 seats at Kent County Council. The Greens’ local leader looks at how it’s going so far
-
‘Expect to be Arrested’ Met Police Warns as Hundreds Set to Defy Palestine Action Ban
The Met Police have promised mass arrests as over 500 people are expected to take part in a protest backing the banned direct action group on Saturday
-
The Turning Point Takeover: The Growing Network Bringing Trump’s Politics to the UK
The Women’s Safety Initiative is getting more attention, but its ideological underpinnings deserve serious scrutiny, reports Katherine Denkinson
