🔴 Keir Starmer promised to crackdown on "Slapps" - abusive libel cases to silence journalists and critics Then Labour quietly dropped it We can reveal why: a three-year lobbying blitz by libel lawyers who've acted for Russian oligarchs, Epstein + more democracyforsale.substack.com/p/how-lawyer...

Why do we still have oppressive defamation laws? Because of highly effective lobbying by a handful of libel lawyers, and a Government that broke its promise to act. Important investigation from Peter Geoghegan and Jenna Corderoy: www.newstatesman.com/investigatio...

Don’t miss the ground breaking investigation by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and @jennacorderoy.bsky.social exposing how lawyers for the ultra-rich derailed Labour’s plans to tackle SLAPPs. democracyforsale.substack.com/p/how-lawyer...

🔴 Keir Starmer promised to crackdown on "Slapps" - abusive libel cases to silence journalists and critics Then Labour quietly dropped it We can reveal why: a three-year lobbying blitz by libel lawyers who've acted for Russian oligarchs, Epstein + more democracyforsale.substack.com/p/how-lawyer...

crucial context: Peter Mandelson was sacked from the first New Labour government for having a £373,000 *loan* (not a gift) from a Labour colleague (Geoffrey Robinson) to buy a house

“A reward” This is why so many voters want to see political donations capped at a low level, if not done away with completely

When Democracy for Sale started publishing stories about how Labour Together under then minister Josh Simons hired a lobby firm to investigate journalists I *really* couldn’t have foreseen this…

🔴 Nigel Farage is facing questions about why he did not declare his use of a donor’s helicopter to travel around Britain for multiple Reform UK rallies over the past year. New on Democracy for Sale and @theguardian.com democracyforsale.substack.com/p/farage-fac...

Yes, I am in Lake Como pressing refresh on bbc scotland football page 😂

Must we keep holding our politicians to such impossible standards?

🎉 Am incredibly chuffed that Khadija Sharife and I have been shortlisted for Private Eye's Paul Foot Award Three years ago Democracy for Sale didn't exist. Now we are regularly breaking major investigations and stories. A *huge* thank you to all of our supporters. 😊

🔴 Nigel Farage is facing questions about why he did not declare his use of a donor’s helicopter to travel around Britain for multiple Reform UK rallies over the past year. New on Democracy for Sale and @theguardian.com democracyforsale.substack.com/p/farage-fac...

Leaving aside the pros and cons of Starmer as a leader, hard to imagine a more vivid poster child for the Reform/Farage narrative that liberal democracy in Britain is broken and we need a ‘strong leader’ than what’s happening right now….

Read this last night and feels very on point for today, from @will-davies.bsky.social in @lrb.co.uk www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Hmmm watching resignations live on bbc news channel feels very Boris Johnson

This is so 2026

NEW: ChatGPT advised the FSU shooter that a mass shooting would get more attention from media if it involved several children, according to a new lawsuit against OpenAI www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

This story needs way more attention. Farage and his acolytes have repeatedly claimed his home was "firebombed", to justify the £5m secret donation given to the Reform leader by crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne But the police report of the incident is a burglary. There's no record of arson

Great to chat to @petergeoghegan.bsky.social about If We Tolerate This and the election results - what right-wing nationalism is really about, where the money comes from, why its success is not inevitable. youtu.be/kNyT7AbKRXY?...

A Reform government is not inevitable. But more of the same will only make it more likely. Great to speak to the brilliant @trillingual.bsky.social about the rise of the British radical right - and what comes next, for Reform, Farage and all of us democracyforsale.substack.com/p/a-reform-g...

It never ceases to amaze me how many election pundits don’t understand the dynamics of First Past the Post, and how vote-splitting works under the UK’s electoral system. John Curtice does. Listen to John Curtice.

The best three minutes in irish music history? Very possibly Reminder as a young hack going to cover SLF’s Patrick’s Day gig in the Ulster Hall in Belfast. When the opening bars of Alternative Ulster started whole place went *nuts* www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlGm...

Very good analysis by @trillingual.bsky.social:

Did this with @lesleyriddoch.bsky.social and @petergeoghegan.bsky.social yesterday lunchtime. Would it be too much of a spoiler to say that the answer's yes?

Daniel Trilling’s new book is well worth a read 👏

A Reform government is not inevitable. But more of the same will only make it more likely. Great to speak to the brilliant @trillingual.bsky.social about the rise of the British radical right - and what comes next, for Reform, Farage and all of us democracyforsale.substack.com/p/a-reform-g...

Didn’t see the SNP winning Shetland. First time since 1950s not elected a liberal

Huge props to the 16 year old who came to vote at my local polling station in her school uniform. The election staff had to explain to her that she’s not able to vote yet but made her promise to come back next time 😊

This was a truly dreadful segment Treating bad faith actors like they’re not bad faith actors

This Silicon Valley nonsense - designed to stop journalists writing stories powerful people don’t want in public domain - getting a press release on BBC radio 4 Media Show now Sigh objection.ai

🔴SCOOP: Tom Harper, the senior APCO executive who led firm's controversial investigation into journalists on behalf of Labour Together, has left the PR firm. His profile has been taken down from APCO's website. Sources confirmed departure New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/pr-executi...

‘The only people who threaten to sue me are the rich, the billionaires,’ the great Patrick Radden Keefe tells Truth Tellers conference. ‘The lawyers are in a letter writing business. They get paid to write these letters’

Big Vic has been bloody terrific for Arsenal tonight

So moved house a few weeks ago (in London). Since moved only get post like once a week, in a big bundle with all my mag subs from weeks back Called into next door neighbour today. Exact same thing happening to her, and whole street How is this possible??

Independent journalism only works when it’s accountable to its readers. Tell us what you want more (and less) of by filling in our survey. There’s a £25 book token up for grabs!  https://f.mtr.cool/lpmggjzudu 

Lovely speech from Shaun Murphy. Amazing final, and a worthy winner

Brilliant final in snooker tonight. Crowd chanting ‘Wu’ not ‘boo’

🔴 A flagship British research agency has given £50m+ of UK taxpayer cash to US tech firms Beneficiaries include firms bankrolled by Sam Altman and Eric Schmidt Some firms were incorporated in U.K. just a day before being given millions Scoop on D4S democracyforsale.substack.com/p/dominic-cu...

🔴 A flagship British research agency has given £50m+ of UK taxpayer cash to US tech firms Beneficiaries include firms bankrolled by Sam Altman and Eric Schmidt Some firms were incorporated in U.K. just a day before being given millions Scoop on D4S democracyforsale.substack.com/p/dominic-cu...

A SpAd threatening an injunction and two different lawsuits in response to a right of reply is a new one on me… Worth reading the full story

🔴 NEW: Reform UK's £4m crypto donor Ben Delo has dismissed his US conviction as a "non-crime" But we got the court docs - and found a different story US federal prosecutors said he "thumbed his nose at the law" and had led a "criminal enterprise" democracyforsale.substack.com/p/reforms-4m...

Re’upping this. Brilliant evening of snooker tonight

Yes, this is a *different* overseas crypto billionaire that gave Reform multiple millions.

Suspect this will keep growing as a scandal.

🔴 NEW: Reform’s £4m crypto donor Ben Delo has dismissed his US conviction as a "non-crime" But court filings tell a different story Delo was a "leader of a criminal enterprise”, US prosecutors said He pled guilty to a charge and paid $10m fine democracyforsale.substack.com/p/reforms-4m...

Why are these people giving Farage so much money?

🔴 NEW: Reform UK's £4m crypto donor Ben Delo has dismissed his US conviction as a "non-crime" But we got the court docs - and found a different story US federal prosecutors said he "thumbed his nose at the law" and had led a "criminal enterprise" democracyforsale.substack.com/p/reforms-4m...

John Higgins coming out to the Stone Roses’ ‘I am the Resurrection’. Hahaha brilliant

Hate to be that person but VAR has ruined football (The naked corruption, oligarch owners, FIFA, infantino etc haven’t helped - but VAR really is the pits)

A Telegraph blogpost in quango form.