#Statecapture in South Africa wasn’t just politicians & the Guptas. Firms like McKinsey, Regiments & Trillian at Transnet & Eskom enabled inflated contracts & mismanagement. #GIACE research by @devipillay.co.za shows how unchecked outsourcing weakens state capacity. Read: bit.ly/consultants-...

Oh dear.

Sussex Spark 2025: Is the UK Politically Corrupt? Join us at Brighton Dome on 18 Sept for a public debate on the Nolan Principles and standards in public life. Panel: @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social,Becky Dobson Phillips, @suehawley.bsky.social, @drhannahwhite.bsky.social. 🎟️ Tickets: t.co/eQ90lgoToS

This is actually really big and very welcome. Unannounced amidst yesterday’s Hillsborough Law are new provisions to upgrade the UK’s archaic misconduct in public office offence. Big win for @spotlightcorruption.org. Here’s our analysis @bricksilk.bsky.social @csc-barrington.bsky.social

#GIACE hosted our Mid-Year Conference (8–9 Sept) with researchers, Fellows, FCDO & CSO partners. Day 1 featured multiple panels on research themes, ending with a roundtable on the Changing Global Order. Day 2 focused on impact - turning research into real-world solutions and more. bit.ly/giaceconf

New #GIACE blog by @csc-barrington.bsky.social asks: are lawyers upholding justice - or enabling kleptocrats? Recent research shows the long-standing “access to justice” defence is being challenged by ethicists, political scientists, and even lawyers themselves. Read: bit.ly/RBEnablersblog

What has happened in American politics could easily happen in the UK too, writes @davidallengreen.bsky.social.

🗣️ "This creates concerning opportunities for corporate interests to influence policy without public scrutiny.” @rosewhiff.bsky.social warned @thetimes.com that the Parliamentary Knowledge Scheme could create conflicts of interest between businesses and MPs. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

‼️The fact that Labour accepted £40k from a convicted criminal underlines the urgent need for a new law to make political parties check the source of their donations. A basic criminal record check would have made the party think twice about accepting the donation in the first place.

Read the new blog by @devipillay.co.za for @giace.bsky.social!

New blog by Robert Barrington explores the risks of applying anti-terror laws to protest groups & what it could mean for civil society’s role in anti-corruption. Reflects on UK & global trends. 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/3UjVK04 #Governance #CivilSociety #RuleOfLaw

Is the designation of #PalestineAction as a terrorist group relevant to the UK's anti-corruption architecure? Regrettably yes - this new blog explains how blogs.sussex.ac.uk/centre-for-t... @spotlightcorruption.org @transparencyuk.bsky.social @ukanticorruptioncoalition.org

Why it matters whether #PalestineAction are really terrorists - blog exploring implications of using anti-terror laws vs Palestine Action, arguing that applying such laws to campaigners can set dangerous precedent which a future government could abuse to silence its critics and cover up corruption

We’re excited to welcome @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social as the new Programme Director of GI ACE! We’re thrilled to have her leading the next phase of GI ACE’s work to advance integrity and evidence-based anti-corruption strategies. Read more about Liz’s background: giace.org/about/

Just announced: the UK's most famous libel firm, Carter-Ruck, is being prosecuted before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal for recklessly enabling a $4bn fraud It's astonishing how reckless Carter-Ruck was - likely causing $$$ more to be lost to fraudsters The full story:

Delighted to have published this paper on the ethics of lawyers who represent kleptocrats - Competing rights, colliding ethics: reconciling client acceptance, state capture and the concept of a public profession www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

📚 Highlights from the CSC Summer Academy! Two days of rich discussion on state capture, grand corruption, integrity in sport, and more. Interested in anti-corruption? Apply to our MA in Corruption & Governance: lnkd.in/e-vEK2sb #AntiCorruption #GoodGovernance #CSC

Many small steps make a long journey. But we now need big steps+a short journey. Loss of trust in politics is a severe problem - ethics & integrity a big contributory cause. Parties talk such a good game on this - but only in Opposition. From that to wardrobe-gate and footie freebies. What a shame.

Government plans for a new Ethics Commission are welcome, but without laws that enshrines the existence of the Ministerial Code of Conduct, ministerial standards will still rely on the ‘good chaps’ theory of government. Our full statement 👇 www.transparency.org.uk/news/new-eth...

"It is unclear how the new financial penalties will be enforced and there are no changes to the rules on the revolving door, which urgently need strengthening" Our thoughts on the Government's new ethics announcements in the @financialtimes.com ⬇️ www.ft.com/content/0ff2...

Really interesting set of research gaps/questions published by NCA and Home Office: nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/p... @spotlightcorruption.org @transparencyuk.bsky.social @bcowdock.bsky.social @duncanhames.bsky.social @suehawley.bsky.social @jamesbj.bsky.social

🎙️ New Kickback episode: Mo Ibrahim joins @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social to talk about founding the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, African-led governance, the IIAG & leadership prize. Inspiring insights on self-reliance & reform. 🎧 Listen: apple.co/46MHZOD | bit.ly/4eWj9Ot | bit.ly/KB136Soundcloud

Dame Margaret Hodge, the UK's anti-corruption champion, is being dispatched to the British Virgin Islands to challenge authorities there on their glacial progress towards promised beneficial ownership transparency reforms www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Laws and rules to counter kleptocracy must have greater extraterritorial reach and/or more effective multijurisdictional partnerships to meet a challenge which is becoming even more transnational in form. With Ricardo Soares de Oliveira. theconversation.com/come-meet-us...

NEW: Over the past 2 decades, more than £60 million has flowed into British politics through exploiting critical loopholes in our election laws. In 2025 alone, close to £700,000 has been handed to political parties through these routes. Read more⬇️: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/how-to-sec...

👇 Good write-up of this exchange by @rowenamason.bsky.social and @kiranstacey.bsky.social in @theguardian.com tonight:

David Lammy has announced a UK-led Summit on illicit financial flows- will it deliver in tackling kleptocracy and corruption? blogs.sussex.ac.uk/centre-for-t... @spotlightcorruption.org @racheldavies.bsky.social @duncanhames.bsky.social @sussexscsc.bsky.social @lizdavidbarrett.bsky.social

From @csc-barrington.bsky.social wherein he discusses what "I will never allow London mansions to be the bitcoin of kleptocrats" (David Lammy) might actually mean. blogs.sussex.ac.uk/centre-for-t...

🔴 How can a captured bank become an engine of grand corruption❓ Our new briefing dives deep into the Congo Hold-Up investigation to reveal the tactics used to embezzle and launder funds through BGFIBank in the Democratic Republic of Congo. acdatacollective.org/work/inside-...

Financial institutions are the arteries of modern economies—but when captured, they become pipelines for illicit wealth. @acdatacollective.bsky.social's new brief "Inside the Congo Hold-Up" shows how BGFIBank DRC was hijacked by the Kabila regime to launder public funds. 🔗 bit.ly/ACDCPolicyBr...

For those following the important McGrail Inquiry into corruption in the government of Gibraltar, it has just announced that the report will be presented to the government this autumn: coircomp.gi/wp-content/u.... Campaigners will rightly expect it to be released to the public at the same time.

🗣️"We cannot credibly aspire to be the anti-corruption capital of the world while the BVI continues to avoid proper transparency" Important piece from MPs Lloyd Hatton and Sir Andrew Mitchell on the need to end financial secrecy in Britain's Overseas Territories. www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

📢 Now hiring! Join the University of Sussex as a Lecturer in Politics (part-time, fixed-term) and help teach on our renowned MA in Corruption and Governance. Remote teaching possible (UK-based only). Apply by 21 July: jobs.sussex.ac.uk/job/08e2705d...

New KickBack episode out now: @csc-barrington.bsky.social speaks with Nicole Rose (NACC) and AJ Brown (TI Australia) about corruption in Australia, the rise of “grey corruption,” and how new institutions are responding. 🎧 Listen here: SoundCloud: bit.ly/Soundcloud135KB #KickBack #AntiCorruption

A private instruction that prevents government officials from speaking at public events is counter-productive. It will lead to a more closed government and less effective policy www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gove...

🤝 Great to see the Serious Fraud Office and the US Department of Justice affirm their commitment to continued collaboration in fighting white collar crime, because this cooperation is absolutely vital for ensuring corporate corruption is deterred by the threat of robust enforcement.

🆕 The BVI's plans for granting access to its corporate registers don't go far enough. Genuine beneficial ownership disclosure should expose corruption and empower investigators—not create bureaucratic barriers protecting wrongdoers. See our full response ⤵️ www.transparency.org.uk/news/bvis-co...

What does state capture mean for UNCAC implementation? In a new #GIACE blog, Tom Shipley explores how the UNCAC process often overlooks the systemic nature of capture, and what a more effective approach could look like. 🔗 Blog: giace.org/statecapture... 🔗 Also Read: bit.ly/uncaccoaliti...

Latest thinking on lawyers as professional enablers: 'Competing rights, colliding ethics: reconciling client acceptance, state capture and the concept of a public profession' www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

🚨New Kickback episode out now! Oguzhan Dincer and Michael Johnston join @csc-barrington.bsky.social to discuss their book Corruption in America, exploring how corruption operates across all 50 U.S. states. 🎧 Listen: bit.ly/Soundcloud134KB 📘 Book: www.cambridge.org/core/books/c... #Governance #KB

The UK's Foreign Secretary has announced plans for a promised summit on countering illicit finance: 'bringing together a broad coalition for action'. We @transparencyuk.bsky.social warmly welcome this endeavour, furthering his commitment to tackling dirty money from crime and corruption worldwide.🧵

how sordid this looks for a government that promised ethics and integrity.

A major step forward:

Our Governance & Integrity Fellowship is a pioneering collaboration between GI ACE & the Interdisciplinary Corruption Research Network (ICRN). Click to learn how the 12 researchers & practitioners are advancing transparency, equity, and institutional reform in their regions: giace.org/fellowship/

Is anti-corruption still true to its roots — or part of the problem? Rebecca Dobson Phillips, @aj16.bsky.social & Helen Taylor join @csc-barrington.bsky.social to explore the UK’s anti-corruption landscape. 🎧 Listen to KickBack Ep133: bit.ly/133SoundcloudKB #anticorruption #KickBackPodcast

🙏 Thanks for having us on the podcast and for the stimulating discussion @kickbackgap.bsky.social @csc-barrington.bsky.social @aj16.bsky.social #anticorruption #KickBackPodcast

Futureproofing the Electoral Commission by beefing up its independence (as well as its powers) is crucial for the future of our democracy. Today we publish a piece by Professor Alistair Clarke on how to @conunitucl.bsky.social @joepowell.bsky.social @alexsobel.co.uk @transparencyuk.bsky.social

Big tech’s capture of Labour’s AI agenda is the next big lobbying scandal waiting to happen in the UK. As ever @lucasamin.bsky.social and @petergeoghegan.bsky.social are on it … Labour needs to get serious about developing an equity in access to ministers and greater citizen participation

We’re excited to launch the inaugural Governance & Integrity Fellowship in Vienna this week (12–14 June), in partnership with @icrn-research.bsky.social. The Fellowship supports 12 early career researchers from the Global South working on governance, integrity & anti-corruption.

Very welcome scrutiny on why the government has taken so few steps to take forward Manifesto commitments to restore trust in public life nearly one year into office. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...