After taking leave from the House of Lords, he was rather ironically under no obligation to regularly publish his financial interests during his term as Ambassador.
Sorry to be a nerd, but the government should really also publish Peter Mandelson's filled-in conflict of interest submission, when he was appointed Ambassador.
Hopefully that's coming with the next tranche of released documents...
Great write-up here by @josiahmortimer.bsky.social on the risks of crypto donations in UK politics.
I was very pleased to give some comments for the piece, following an amendment being tabled to the Representation of the People Bill laying the groundwork for a ban ⬇️
"But a Guardian investigation has shown the money isn’t necessarily real, the datacentres may not be new, the jobs are unaccounted for – and the supercomputer site 12 miles north of London is still a scaffolding yard" - fascinating report from @aishadown.bsky.social
Oh and on your first point about overseas electors, who are not UK taxpayers, being prohibited from donating, there are existing provisions in the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 that could do this.
They have just never been commenced and need some tweaks. So watch this space…
Pleased to have had a comment in this piece:
“Rushing through this proposal could add yet another loophole that will weaken our already threadbare lobbying transparency regime, put us at odds with the standards of other legislatures and leave us yet more vulnerable to covert foreign interference.”
Thanks v much for the kind words!
As an update, Liam Byrne MP has now tabled an amendment to the Representation of the People Bill to ban crypto donations in politics. Hoping to see it backed widely across the Commons.
Peter Gummer to quit House of Lords after damning conduct committee report recommends 12-month suspension over introduction of PPE company to govt and failing to cooperate with earlier inquiries. Top reporting from David Conn
🎥 Live now with our excellent panel, discussing political funding, transparency, and foreign influence...
❓ Is UK democracy up for sale? 💷
📍 www.radixbigtent.org.uk/events/polit...
NHS official pushed to add patient data to Palantir platform while also advising company ft.trib.al/5F32aYS
This is very timely and comes on the back of calls from MPs during a Commons debate last night to place more restrictions on the ability of think tanks to donate to political parties - esp those fuelled and driven by overseas funds and interests.
hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2026...?
Another really interesting piece from GLP which suggests that the Electoral Commission is assessing whether Centre for a Better Britain may have fallen short of the rules by failing to register as a third-party campaigner...
🚨 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐘 🚨
The referee is back to refereeing.
For too long, the Strategy and Policy Statement gave Ministers undue influence over the Electoral Commission - letting politicians lean on the body meant to police elections 👇
🎉 Really positive news coming from parliament that the government will scrap the Strategy and Policy Statement for the @electoralcommission.org.uk.
⚠️ We previously warned about the risks of keeping the statement in place in our report, Democracy in Danger 🧵 ⬇️
🎥 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 ⤵️
Drilling kit for Russia's money-spinning oil industry, yachts linked to Medvedev and Yanukovych, an aircraft for Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.
All part of $8bn trade flowing through the UK's island havens since 2022.
Pleased to be quoted in this piece to reiterate @spotlightcorruption.org’s and @ukanticorruptioncoalition.org’s calls for a ban on the dark money threat of crypto political donations, enshrined in law in such a way that it can’t be overturned without a proper parliamentary and legislative process ⬇️
Our piece this morning about a billionaire halting one of the largest mass evictions in London’s recent history after London Centric’s weekend report —
open.substack.com/pub/londonce...
London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” is underway; hundreds of households across London told to get out of their homes this week by the same landlord, ahead of the renters rights act. The landlord? Billionaire Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...
🚨 Cabinet Office investigating Labour Together and Josh Simons over campaign to smear journalists
But...ministers overseeing inquiry have received £150,000+ from Labour think tank
Experts and MPs demand 'full independent investigation'
New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-g... 🧵
🚨 NEW: Today's arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor puts the Misconduct in Public Office offence under the spotlight.
👉 This is a law that needs tightening to ensure that our criminal law is fit for purpose.
Read our full statement:
www.ukanticorruptioncoalition.org/work/stateme...
Here's a new Q&A paper I have put together with the @spotlightcorruption.org team on why the UK government should implement a full ban on crypto donations in UK politics, including addressing the emerging threat of party political memecoins 🪙🪙🪙
www.spotlightcorruption.org/report/brief...
Legions of fossil fuel-powered British AI - the next anti-climate fantasy of the British right.
...Labour still won't comment on whether it will support UK AI data centres that want to power their operations with gas.
Read more about the ongoing battle @desmog.com
Great to see GLP publish this.
This is an important case study showing that foreign interference should also be looked at through the lens of countries such as the US and Hungary funnelling dark money into UK think tanks.
Should Gove now face questions?
goodlawproject.org/putins-megap...
⚠️ The government’s #ElectionsBill announced last week needs major work if it is to achieve its goal of ending foreign and undue interference in our democracy. Here are 7️⃣ essential measures that Parliamentarians need to take forward before the Bill becomes law. 🧵
Calls to halt UK Palantir contracts grow amid ‘lack of transparency’ over deals
Three words (derivative of Liz Truss)
What a disgrace.
🚨 Why bringing misconduct in public office charges against Lord Mandelson faces major hurdles
⛔ Why the changes in the #HillsboroughBill probably won't help
💥 And what needs to happen next if we're to restore integrity to British politics
Read @suehawley.bsky.social's analysis 👇
And props to @mc00.bsky.social who has been doggedly tracking Palantir’s (sometimes secret) government and public sector contracts from the beginning and is the authority on the subject.
Good to see MPs raising pertinent questions about this conflict of interest over government dealings with Palantir.
I remember investigating this for Good Law Project back in April and being told in response to FOIs that no paper trail was kept from Starmer and Mandelson’s visit to Palantir’s HQ.
