The Elections Bill is really very thin on political finance. Some loopholes closed, some warm words, but still unlimited political donations. That's why we're working with @38degrees.bsky.social to call for a cap on donations Please sign and share: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ta...

On the podcast: @piercepenniless.bsky.social, @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and @ethanshone.bsky.social discuss Mandelson’s influence and explore how the lobbying and advisory industries are undermining democratic legitimacy. Listen wherever you get podcasts. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

"In place of real politics, it has office politics." Really good piece by Aditya Chakrabortty (Includes link to Democracy for Sale's piece about Alan Milburn's massive private earnings and a name check for my @lrb.co.uk scribbling on Labour and the lobbyists.) www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Yesterday: we exposed the terrifying extent of corporate capture in British politics Three Labour select committee chairs came out calling for urgent action in response Today: Labour government's Elections Bill lands. Does almost *nothing* to tackle any of the issues we exposed. 🤦

‘We should say that there are fans are at Old Trafford who 💯 applaud what Radcliffe is saying’, BBC 5 Live presenter says after a semi critical comment from a guest. Why ‘should we say’ that some bigoted people agree with the bigoted rich man?

Corruption. Nothing less can describe the scale of this influence. I asked ministers this week if they would cap donations at the same time as asking about openness on lobbying meetings, and this was the part of the question they refused to answer.

Blooming heck I’m 4th on the ‘most users added’ on here list- for the world!?! Ahead of @weratedogs.com but behind the inimitable @pickardje.bsky.social

Rarely mentioned but about much of Ratcliffe’s business ‘success’ is based on draining public money (very common among these ‘self made tycoons’) Eg democracyforsale.substack.com/p/ineos-set-...

🔴 BREAKING: Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake has written to the PR professional body, which has launched a probe into PR firm that Labour Together hired to investigate journalists He writes "you need to ascertain who paid for APCO’s work – whether it was Labour Together directly or a third party."

Really enjoyed this conversation about lobbying, influence and money in politics with James and Ethan on @lrb.co.uk podcast

The point about high-net worth individuals is telling and worth emphasising A whole bunch of Labour policies that didn't appear in the manifesto and that almost everybody hates seem oddly familiar from e.g. the Epstein files and other glimpses we have into that world

🔴 Exclusive: Corporate donations British parties tripled over last three elections But here's key thing: almost none is from FTSE500/listed companies It's almost all companies controlled by super-wealthy individuals, or small, opaque firms New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-c...

🔴 Investigation opened into PR firm's work investigating journalists and sources for Labour Together PRCA has launched a probe into APCO Worldwide following Democracy for Sale's reporting Now will Cabinet minister Josh Simons explain himself? democracyforsale.substack.com/p/pr-firm-pr...

I think it’s something to do with the endless rain in London but am on a *massive* Magnetic Fields kick (Missed them a few months ago live as had Covid. Grrr) www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqrQ...

I think it’s something to do with the endless rain in London but am on a *massive* Magnetic Fields kick (Missed them a few months ago live as had Covid. Grrr) www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqrQ...

Labour's @johnmcdonnellmp.bsky.social written to General Sec Hollie Ridley for 3rd time calling for independent inquiry into Labour Together "Keir Starmer yesterday promised a change of culture in the party. This will be an early test of that promise” democracyforsale.substack.com/p/pr-firm-pr...

🔴 Investigation opened into PR firm's work investigating journalists and sources for Labour Together PRCA has launched a probe into APCO Worldwide following Democracy for Sale's reporting Now will Cabinet minister Josh Simons explain himself? democracyforsale.substack.com/p/pr-firm-pr...

This is pretty menacing. Sarah Pochin wrote to Bangor's university student run debating society requesting that she attend to "answer questions from students." When they said "no" Reform rolled all it's tanks onto the lawns and said they'll cut funding to the entire university if they win.

This is a must read thread 🧵

Important thread ... 👇

I know it’s a very busy day but this story *really* matters Josh Simons says he hired ‘a PR company’ to investigate a ‘suspected illegal hack’ But if you’re worried about a hack, why pay £30k to a PR firm? A lot about this story isn’t right. And a cabinet office minister is at the centre of it

A video! With me! About Democracy for Sale's latest revelations about Labour Together, which lead all the way to Starmer's Downing Street.

"This is why Simons’ comments are so significant. If he was so worried about a “suspected illegal hack” why commission a PR firm? Why produce dossiers on journalists and talk about having “leverage” over them? And why brief a story making reporters look like unwitting agents of foreign hackers?"

This is a huge story and must be treated as such. We allow too much side-stepping of accountability, with journalists often expected to bear the brunt of forcing the issue. Journalists and their sources must be protected - if they are not, the situation is pretty dire

Listen out for the silences & where they're coming from surrounding this story. It is highly telling which big platform commentators & opinion havers in & around Labour who are usually very vocal on most things haven't uttered a squeak about this huge story

Suspect this story could blow up in a big way

There are a lot of Labour crises going on right now, but this is an important thread on the honesty of a key Starmer minister’s response to allegations of paying a PR firm to investigate journalists.

When he ran Labour Together, Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons hired a PR firm to investigate journalists After our revelations, and a flurry of news stories, Simons finally gave his side of the story But it doesn't seem to tally with the facts... 🧵 democracyforsale.substack.com/p/mcsweeney-...

Well, this quote has aged interestingly.

Morgan McSweeney has resigned Lots of reasons for it but among them is our revelation on Thursday evening that McSweeney’s think tank paid a PR firm to investigate journalists. McSweeney was across that decision. Still so many questions to answer about it

Brought youngest to Arsenal women’s today. Was terrific!

Labour Together paid a PR firm £30k+ to investigate journalists that were digging into how its undeclared funding bankrolled Starmer’s successful Labour leadership campaign Watch the video on Democracy for Sale's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_V5...

In competence and venality of the old political elite is ushering in a class of oligarchic politicians that are backed by unprecedented levels of private wealth and driven by some batshit crazy ideas (that just happen to be good for their wealth…) Thiel is a prime mover in this

Oligarchic media gonna oligarchic media

Rarely have I been to anything that captured the spirit of a person like last night’s remembrance of Conor Gearty at LSE. Like Conor, it was by turns hilarious, thought provoking and filled with a deep sense of empathy Possibly the finest Longford man I’ll ever know. He’s still so much missed

🤪😡😤The photo for the profile is actually taken in the home Salisbury that was raided by police yesterday

Hahahaha

I had to check the date on this three times ‘At home with Peter Mandelson’ in Times magazine *today* This is how we cover corruption in Britain? Seriously??

That @petergeoghegan.bsky.social is onto something here and he's not letting go of it open.substack.com/pub/democrac...

Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons commissioned PR firm to investigate journalists and their sources Why? Because they were digging into the dark money behind Labour Together, and Keir Starmer's rise Me on D4S, on why our revelations matter so much: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/labour-tog...

Great to hear a Democracy for Sale story on heads of news on Today on Radio 4 Also very good to see a proper credit for us - as an ‘investigative website’ not ‘a Substack’ - high up in the story www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Good to see Guardian following up Democracy for Sale’s story about Labour Together paying a PR firm to investigate journalists Key point: confirms our reporting McSweeney knew what was going on When will Labour Together come clean about what happened? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

This is massive. A credit to Democracy For Sale for their investigation.

The Labour Together thinktank paid a PR firm at least £30,000 to investigate journalists from The Sunday Times, The Guardian and other outlets that were looking into its funding, Democracy for Sale has revealed democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

“This is dark shit.” An astonishing scoop from Democracy for Sale: https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-morgan-mcsweeneys-labour-together-investigators-journalists

This is the question I have been saying to everyone who has called today about Democracy for Sale's scoop last night democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

If you're UK-based, it's worth taking a minute to appreciate the phenomenal work that @petergeoghegan.bsky.social is doing at Democracy for Sale. Serious scoops pretty much every week at the current pace

Well, Jon Cruddas is right. "Dark shit" indeed.

Democracy for Sale's scoop about Labour Together paying a firm to investigate journalists has now been picked up in FT, Politico and the Guardian Huge questions to answer - for Morgan McSweeney, Josh Simons, and Keir Starmer Oh, and do support D4S 😀 democracyforsale.substack.com/subscribe

So Team Starmer couldn’t ’possibly have known’ Mandelson was lying about his relationship with a convicted paedophile. Despite mountains of publicly available evidence. Yet they spent £30,000 on private investigators trying to dig dirt on journalists who asked them troublesome questions? 🤔