💷 BIG MONEY CORRUPTS UK POLITICS In 2015, £1m+ donations made up just 1% of private political donations. By 2024? They made up more than a third. Today, it was put straight to the PM: the Election's Bill doesn't go far enough. It’s well past time to cap donations & end big money in politics.

📝"There is a clear public interest in knowing who funds our politicians, and therefore who they may be indebted to when they secure positions of power." @stevejgoodrich.bsky.social writes on how Nigel Farage's failure to declare his £5m gift show the UK's political finance laws are broken. More ⤵️

Politics should not be for sale:

🗣️ "The commission has created a giant regulatory black hole that we're now proposing to fill before it does untold damage.” Steve Goodrich speaking w/ Cat Neilan on Lloyd Hatton MP from the @appgonacrt.bsky.social pushing to ensure MPs report donations received before entering Parliament. More ⬇️

🚨INQUIRY INTO £5M GIFT Transparency matters. MPs are required to declare gifts soon after entering Parliament. But no amount of paperwork fixes a political system awash with cash. As long as mega donations continue, big money will corrupt our politics. It’s time to cap donations. Read more ⤵️

🚨 NEW ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING SUPERVISION MEASURES CONFIRMED Gaps in oversight have enabled the corrupt to exploit the UK’s professional & financial services sector to launder their stolen wealth. 🕰️ Delivering these reforms as a priority is critical to strengthen the fight against dirty money

🗣️"We have never seen the number [of big donors] this small and the money this big” Duncan Hames in Al Jazeera on politics' dependence on the super rich. 📈 In fact, from 2015 > 2024, £1m+ donations grew from 1% of funding to 35%. We need a donations cap to end big money corrupting our politics.

📅 EVENT: How can we improve trust & transparency in public decision-making? 📍 2pm | 18 May OGP is an international initiative that brings government & civil society together to promote trust, and integrity. Join UKACC & Open Data Manchester for an online session to shape this work. Details ⤵️

🗣️ “Lobbying behind closed doors enables outside interests to influence our politics without public scrutiny.” Rose Zussman in The Guardian following Tom Wall's revelations of 16 previously undeclared meetings between US tech execs & a senior Starmer advidser. More below ⤵️

Today, @tbij.bsky.social launches Voices For Transparency, a photo series showing the human stories behind corporate secrecy in the UK's CDOTs. 🌏 Ahead of the Illicit Finance Summit, the UK must end offshore secrecy & lead by example in the global fight against corruption. 🔗 Full series below ⤵️

🕊️ Today is World Press Freedom Day. A free media is essential to hold power to account. Yet around the world, journalists continue to face intimidation, threats, and even death. 🗣️ We call on all governments to build a world where those that uncover corruption and injustice are safe.

The rules are very clear. MPs are required declare gifts like this soon after being elected. The election was back in July 2024. If an MP owes their personal security to a multi-million pound benefactor, you have the right to know.

It’s becoming harder to ignore the growing weight that extremely wealthy donors appear to carry in British politics, not just in scale, but in proximity to key political decisions.

🔄⌛Time to reset standards in politics⌛🔄 The ongoing Mandelson scandal shouldn't be just another political storm, but a turning point for change. The Committee on Standards in Public Life has already set out recommendations for reform that can start restoring trust in our politics. More ⤵️

💷 Big money in UK politics is growing In 2015, only 1% of private donations came from companies & individuals giving £1m+. 📈But by 2024? It surged to over 35%. It's time for MPs to show they're serious about restoring trust in politics & end political parties' dependence on the super rich.

💰DONATION CAPS NEEDED This week, Parliament heard from democracy experts scrutinising the Gov’s Election Bill. And the message was clear: big money is eroding trust in politics. Unlimited donations enable super-rich donors to buy influence and access to power. ❌It's time for MPs to stop it.

🌏The UK is hosting the International Illicit Finance Summit in June. But for it to succeed, the UK needs to get it's own house in order. Yesterday, @steffanaquarone.bsky.social highlighted how the UK needs real financial transparency to stop dirty money in our Overseas Territories. More ⤵️

❌ The Mandelson-Epstein emails again highlighted how the UK's lobbying transparency regime is woefully inadequate. Poor transparency allows well-connected individuals and companies with deep pockets to influence decisions that should be made in the public interest. More below ⤵

💥"When politicians hold stakes in the sectors they promote, promise regulatory favours to friends and openly threaten disfavoured companies, the boundary between public policy and private gain begins to dissolve." Fraser Nelson in @thetimes.com on the corruption risks of crypto. More below ⤵️

🔇END THE SILENCE Legal threats against are too often used to suppress the truth and give impunity to criminals and the corrupt. We need strong, universal Anti-SLAPP protections to end wealthy criminals abusing the UK court system to keep their crimes hidden from public view. #StopSLAPPS

💥"Politicians talk a lot about trust. But the Elections Bill will do little to tackle one of the biggest sources of distrust in British politics: the rise of big money." Peter Geoghegan is spot on. Ending big money in politics - from home & abroad - is critical to restore trust in our democracy.

🗣️“Criminals can buy from developers off-plan and in bulk, often with fewer questions asked than in the resale market, and then generate apparently legitimate rental income”. @bcowdock.bsky.social in @occrp.org on how new builds can attract criminals looking to launder their money. More below ⤵

Last chance to grab a ticket to hear us discuss what’s to be done about dirty money, in Whitehall tomorrow evening:

📅 TOMORROW Ahead of the UK's International Illicit Finance Summit in June, the National Liberal Club is hosting a panel discussion on how the UK can ensure the Summit is a success. @duncanhames.bsky.social is joining a brilliant panel, with further details and tickets in the comments below ⤵️

💷 The new £100k cap on overseas donations won't stem the flow of big money into politics — donors can simply move back to the UK. That's exactly what's happening. Only a cap on all donations will end the influence of mega donors in our politics. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Looking forward to this next week. Some tickets are still available and include a drink from the bar:

🗓️ EVENT: Combatting Illicit Finance 📍 14 April | 7.30pm Join @duncanhames.bsky.social, @suehawley.bsky.social, @marianizzero.bsky.social, @steffanaquarone.bsky.social, @edwardlucas.bsky.social & Baroness Hodge for a discussion on making the UK's Illicit Finance Summit in June a success. More ⤵️

🎥 10 years ago, the Panama Papers exposed corruption to the world. It uncovered billions of suspect funds moving through the global economy and how corrupt elites were hiding their stolen wealth. Since then, progress has been made but the flow of dirty money remains. 🔗Full link in comments ⤵️

🆕 BLOG Ten years ago, the Panama Papers revealed how the rich and powerful hide stolen wealth through secret offshore companies. Now the UK is hosting a global summit to tackle illicit finance — but first, it needs to finish cleaning up at home. Read more ⤵️ www.transparency.org.uk/news/ten-yea...

🎥 10 years ago, the Panama Papers exposed corruption to the world. It uncovered billions of suspect funds moving through the global economy and how corrupt elites were hiding their stolen wealth. Since then, progress has been made but the flow of dirty money remains. 🔗Full link in comments ⤵️

📄 Almost 8 years since the UK's offshore financial centres committed to public registers of beneficial ownership - where are we now? 🔎 @margotmollat.bsky.social finds while a few have made progress, some of the worst jurisdictions for corruption are lagging behind. 🔗 Full analysis in comments ⤵️

💷"What’s needed is a ceiling on donations, such as other countries impose." Insightful analysis from @pollytoynbee.bsky.social in the @theguardian.com last week on why bolder action is needed to clean up politics and end big money corrupting our democracy. More below⤵

🗣️“You name a jurisdiction where people have earned a lot of money through questionable means, it ends up in London property”. @stevejgoodrich.bsky.social speaking with the @wsj.com on the extensive London property holdings linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. More ⤵️

🔍 Who's lobbying your politicians? Our Open Access database reveals 168,000+ Westminster & Holyrood meetings since 2012. Search who's talking with the Prime Minister, the Defence Sec, or even your own MP. Transparency matters. Explore the data ⤵️ openaccess.transparency.org.uk

💷 DONATION CAPS NEEDED Mega donations buy influence, honours, and access to power. It erodes public trust and empowers the super rich. Off the back of the Rycroft Review & the Elections Bill, MPs are becoming louder on the threat this poses to our politics. ⏱️ It's time to put an end to it.

More coverage in @politico.eu London Influence newsletter on the #RycroftReview. Reaction from @transparencyuk.bsky.social, @fairvote.bsky.social and @spotlightcorruption.org to the huge steps forward recommended by the report and the acceptance of Sec Steve Reed on the need for a debate on a cap!

🚨Gov announces a moratorium on crypto donations and donation caps on overseas voters These are two positive steps for our democracy. But as Steve Goodrich highlights, "big money from a UK-based mega-donor poses the same risk to the integrity of our politics as from one based overseas". More ⤵️

📈The share of private political donations from individuals and companies giving £1m+ has surged from just 1% in 2015 to 35% in 2024. That's a 35x increase in under a decade and fuels corruption risks and foreign interference in UK politics. 💷 It's time to end the era of big money in UK politics.

📝 "How do you collect taxes on high-value property if the owner is hidden behind complex and opaque legal structures?" @margotmollat.bsky.social explores the challenges in implementing the new 'mansion tax' without real property ownership transparency. 🔗Full article in comments below.

📅 NEXT WEEK At next week's @oecd-ocde.bsky.social Global Anti-Corruption & Integrity Forum, we're looking forward to convening discussions on illicit finance & hosting an event on integrity in EU defence policy (details below). 📧If you're attending, please reach out to connect #OECDIntegrity

📺 Donation caps needed to protect our politics Yesterday @duncanhames.bsky.social made the case to Parliament on why it's time for a donation cap. Watch below to hear how donation caps are widely used globally and would not stop political parties campaigning effectively ⤵️

📆TODAY This afternoon, @duncanhames.bsky.social will give evidence to Parliament on why the Representation of the Peoples Bill needs stronger measures to stop big money corrupting democracy. 🎥Watch to hear why ending mega donations is needed for the Gov' to really restore trust in politics.

Yesterday I hosted an incredibly informative, expert meeting of people showing just how insidious and harmful current lobbying rules are. I am calling for all MPs to follow my lead and publish logs of all their meetings. Corporate influence over politicians and policy must end.

📅 Ending the rich man's world 📍 14 March | 18:15 - 19:15 | Novotel, Meeting Room 1 & 2 | York 💷 Big money is corrupting UK politics with almost £100 million spent at the last election. Tomorrow Duncan Hames joins Peter Geoghegan, Sue Hawley and Manuela Perteghella MP to discuss how to stop it.

🎬THE MONEY BEHIND OUR POLITICS Almost £100 million was spent at the previous election, but where does all that money actually come from? Watch @rosewhiff.bsky.social answer this question and explain why it is such a threat to our democracy. More below ⤵️

🏭Corruption can give fossil fuel interests special access, and corrupt actors who engage in environmental harm impunity. 🌴 That's why we've signed Spotlight on Corruption's brilliant manifesto that identifies how anti-corruption efforts can help build an economy that is clean and green. More ⤵️

🚨 PM tasks the Ethics & Integrity Commission with reforming lobbying rules. While this is welcome, the Committee on Standards in Public Life has already made recommendations that have gathered dust. ⚖️ The UK needs real change and not just another exercise responding to the most recent scandal.

🎥 BIG MONEY IS CORRUPTING OUR POLITICS 🎥 UK politics has a big money problem 💷 The super-rich use money to buy honours, influence and access to power. It erodes trust in our politics and undermines our democracy. The UK needs a cap on donations to end big money in our politics. More below ⤵️

⌛5 MINUTES @duncanhames.bsky.social will be joining a brilliant panel for a timely conversation on what is needed in the upcoming Elections Bill to stop big money corrupting our democracy. Details below ⤵️