SubscriptionsColumn / Investigation: Crypto Politics
Dark money, lobbying, regulatory capture, state institutions hollowed by donor factions, foreign interference, and the financialisation of political power.
-
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
-
Why Did the ECHR Deny Us the Right to Know the Full Extent of the Russian Attack on British Democracy?
Whistleblower Sergei Cristo argues that the recent ruling of the European Court of Human Rights serves to protect Kremlin meddling
-
Reform Council Accused of ‘Trump-Like’ Behaviour Over Pride Flag Ban
EXCLUSIVE: Nigel Farage’s party accused of dodging accountability after removing LGBT+ and Ukraine flags in one of their newly won councils without any formal decision or paper trail
-
Mystery at the Heart of £1 Billion UK Legal Offensive Against Top Putin Ally
A sanctioned former Kremlin politician was sued for shares in his multi-billion-dollar fertiliser company. But why did a trio of companies with links to Russian interests in football get involved?
-
Reform’s Elon Musk-Style ‘DOLGE’ Team Accused of Making ‘False and Misleading’ Claims About Flagship Council
A Reform report into spending at Kent County Council was based largely on dubious claims made by the party’s own former chairman
-
Paying to Play: Europe’s Costly Concessions in Trump’s New Trade War
The US-EU trade deal is a “hopelessly one-sided” agreement, which will ultimately harm the economy on both sides of the Atlantic, argues Simon Nixon
-
‘Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act Is a Ticking Time Bomb for Elder Homelessness’
The number of homeless Americans over 50 is expected to triple by 2030 as Trump unveils massive cuts to social safety net programmes, reports Mary O’Hara
-
The Parliamentary Funding Loophole Allowing Murdoch To Dodge Scrutiny
‘MPs engaging with these groups may have no idea whose interests dominate the funding… allowing wealthy interests to quietly steer policy’
-
‘House of the People’ Citizens’ Assembly Provides Alternative to UK’s Far-Right Descent’
The first sitting of the assembly recommended a ‘People’s Charter’, backed a wealth tax and an arms embargo on Israel
-
‘Keir Starmer’s Government is Sleepwalking Britain Into the Grip of Trump-Supporting Big Tech’
The new ‘partnership’ between the UK Government and OpenAI is in reality a sellout to the one-sided interests of US tech corporations, argues Donald Campbell
-
Caroline Lucas and Campaigners Consider Appeal on Russian Interference Case After European Ruling
Former MPs lose case arguing Government failed to properly investigate Moscow’s election meddling, despite judges acknowledging ‘shortcomings’ in ministers’ response
-
Reform Council Bans All Mentions of Climate Change While Quietly Taking Green Funds From Government
Reform-run West Northamptonshire is removing all references to ‘climate change’ and ‘net zero’ from official documents, yet continuing to take government green grants
-
Democracy in Crisis as Half of Young People Fail to Register to Vote
As the UK Government extends the vote to 16 and 17 year olds, MPs warn that many young people believe politics is no longer offering anything for their lives
-
‘What Trump’s Ukraine U-Turn Really Tells Us About His Psychology’
Trump’s shift from betraying Ukraine to turning on Putin reveals a lot about the man and his Presidency, argues George Llewelyn
-
Bungs from Billionaires: Do Labour’s Political Funding Reforms Really Pass the ‘Musk Test’?
Josiah Mortimer investigates whether the Government’s new reforms will stop the likes of billionaire X owner Elon Musk from funnelling millions of dollars into British politics
-
‘Grassroots’ Pressure Group Opposing Equality Act Is Bankrolled by Tufton Street-Linked Funder
EXCLUSIVE: Supposedly independent campaign group Don’t Divide Us, is funded by body that has anonymously funnelled millions to right-wing groups
-
Reform’s Darren Grimes Seeks Help From European Convention on Human Rights After Previously Calling It ‘Utterly Bent’
EXCLUSIVE: The former GB News host wants to rely on the same European laws he has campaigned against
-
Nigel Farage Says He Wants to Scrap the Two-Child Benefit Cap – But There’s Something He’s Not Telling You
The Reform leader needs to be reminded whose idea it was to push hundreds of thousands of children into poverty in the first place, writes Josiah Mortimer
-
Compulsory Voting Is Needed to Combat ‘Disastrously Low’ UK Turnout, Report Argues
Stark turnout gaps by class, race and age are creating ‘warped incentives’ for politicians, new analysis suggests
-
Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives are ‘Cynically Misrepresenting’ Statistics With Plan to Ban Non-Brits From Claiming Disability Benefits
Experts suggest Conservative frontbenchers are deliberately misleading the public
-
Reform UK’s ‘Children’s Book Bans’ Could Open the Floodgates for Censorship
The party that claims to champion “free speech” is now trying to crack down on books whose messages they disagree with, reports Katie Dancey-Downs
-
Reform UK Tells Prospective Candidates Who Failed Vetting to Reapply Under New ‘Common Sense’ Rules
Individuals previously blocked from standing for Nigel Farage’s party have been told to reapply under new rules prioritising “freedom of expression”
-
‘Progressives Must Unite Against Nigel Farage and National Populism or Reform Will Win’
Neal Lawson on the series of numbers that really matter in UK politics right now
-
The £350 Billion a Year Lost to Corruption, Tax Dodging and Crime Every Year in the UK
As ministers search for cuts, a new parliamentary report reveals the hundreds of billions of pounds that could be clawed back into the UK’s flagging economy
-
Patel, Braverman and Jenrick Immigration Scheme Led to Unexpected and Unregulated Influx of 1.2 Million Foreign Workers
Nearly ten times as many entered the UK under under Brexiters’ unvetted skilled worker visa scheme as arrived in small boats
-
Reform’s Darren Grimes Accused of Lying After Police Deny Telling Him Not to Hold Council Surgeries for ‘Security’ Reasons
EXCLUSIVE: Local police have rejected the Reform UK deputy council leader’s claim that they advised him not to meet his constituents
