Lucas Amin's Avatar

Lucas Amin

@lucasamin.bsky.social

Award-winning investigative reporter working with @petergeoghegan.bsky.social @ Democracy for Sale. Sign up for the newsletter: democracyforsale.substack.com

400 Followers  |  32 Following  |  7 Posts  |  Joined: 12.11.2024  |  1.8741

Latest posts by lucasamin.bsky.social on Bluesky

So thrilled about this - such a pleasure to work with @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and @lucasamin.bsky.social

10.07.2025 21:22 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 26    ๐Ÿ” 9    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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UK government withholding details of Palantir contract KPMG is being paid ยฃ8 million to promote Peter Thielโ€™s tech in NHS hospitals โ€“ but weโ€™re being forced to fight for information about this public contract.

๐Ÿ”ด KPMG being paid ยฃ8million to encourage English hospitals to adopt Palantir tech

But government refusing to give us info about KPMG deal

Labour MP and campaigners have decried secrecy and called on gov't to "ditch this dirty companyโ€

New on DfS:
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/uk-governm...

24.05.2025 11:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 731    ๐Ÿ” 468    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 49    ๐Ÿ“Œ 21
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Subscribe to Democracy for Sale A newsletter dedicated to revealing how dark money and hidden influence threaten our democracy. Click to read Democracy for Sale, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

The story by @lucasamin.bsky.social and me was published exclusively on Democracy for Sale

We've now got 28,000+ subscribers. Sign up to get all the scoops straight to your inbox!! ๐Ÿ”ด ๐Ÿ˜€

democracyforsale.substack.com/subscribe

13.05.2025 07:40 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 43    ๐Ÿ” 12    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Palantir's NHS data platform rejected by most hospitals US spy tech firm's ยฃ330million software isn't much cop, experts say

"The fact that - on top of everything else - Palantir's NHS offer is just not very good does make one wonder about the source of Wes Streeting's enthusiasm for it. And why the hapless Keir Starmer was dragged along to endorse them by Peter Mandelson." open.substack.com/pub/democrac...

13.05.2025 07:44 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 671    ๐Ÿ” 298    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 48    ๐Ÿ“Œ 22
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Palantir's NHS data platform rejected by most hospitals US spy tech firm's ยฃ330million software isn't much cop, experts say

๐Ÿ”ด Remember the ยฃ330million contract given to Trump donor Peter Thiel's firm Palantir to build an NHS data platform?

Well we've found out that most English hospitals aren't using it - because it's not very good

Scoop on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/palantirs-...

13.05.2025 07:40 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1070    ๐Ÿ” 655    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 54    ๐Ÿ“Œ 57
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Uncovering the secrets of ARIA How an โ€˜advancedโ€™ scientific body was reduced to claiming environmental information was not โ€˜environmental informationโ€™

NEW

Uncovering the secrets of ARIA

How an โ€˜advancedโ€™ scientific body was reduced to claiming environmental information was not โ€˜environmental informationโ€™

By me, at @prospectmagazine.co.uk

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...

25.04.2025 12:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 111    ๐Ÿ” 48    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8    ๐Ÿ“Œ 8

Lovely piece about how the government sought to misuse FoI law, and how the government was defeated.

Enjoy the story.

24.04.2025 09:55 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 552    ๐Ÿ” 151    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 9    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

Great to see Democracy For Sale validate that ARIA is covered by the environmental information regulations

24.04.2025 10:06 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 44    ๐Ÿ” 11    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Democracy for Sale 1, Dominic Cummings 0 We fought to expose the ยฃ800m research agency that Cummings built to escape scrutiny - and we won.

Great stuff here from @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and @lucasamin.bsky.social and the lengths Tory ministers went to to prevent scrutiny of Cummings's research and innovation project Aria (and how they've been found out). www.aria.org.uk

substack.com/home/post/p-...

24.04.2025 09:55 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 31    ๐Ÿ” 14    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Democracy for Sale 1, Dominic Cummings 0 We fought to expose the ยฃ800m research agency that Cummings built to escape scrutiny - and we won.

๐Ÿ”ด Remember Aria, the โ€œmoonshot" research agency dreamed up by Dominic Cummings?

It's funded by ยฃ800m in public money but exempt from FOI laws

We decided to fight for transparency... and we won ๐ŸŽ‰

New on Democracy for Sale w/ @lucasamin.bsky.social

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/dominic-cu...

24.04.2025 09:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1440    ๐Ÿ” 501    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 33    ๐Ÿ“Œ 30
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Thames Water chairman accused of conflict of interest over ยฃ37m dividend payment Government officials were concerned about โ€˜conflicted positionโ€™ of Sir Adrian Montague before massive shareholder payment, documents show

Thames Water's chair was ยญsuspected by government officials of ยญholding a potentially โ€œconflicted ยญpositionโ€ when his company made an โ€œunjustifiedโ€ dividend payment of ยฃ37.5m to shareholders

Cracking @lucasamin.bsky.social story on Democracy for Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/thames-wat...

08.02.2025 17:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 197    ๐Ÿ” 107    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8    ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
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Starmerโ€™s top AI advisor did not declare role at Hakluyt AI investment fund Exclusive: Concerns that governmentโ€™s flagship AI policy โ€œcould be directed by vested interestsโ€

SCOOP: Starmer's AI guru was advising Hakluyt's AI investment fund while writing the govt's AI 'action plan' democracyforsale.substack.com/p/starmers-t...

25.01.2025 10:06 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 8    ๐Ÿ” 6    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Wessex Waterโ€™s Malaysian owners under investigation for corruption

Malaysian anti-corruption investigators have launched probe into YTL Power subsidiary over ยฃ700m public contract

New on Democracy for Sale by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social
and me

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-w...

14.12.2024 12:22 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

hi @werahobhouse.bsky.social could you follow so I can dm a press query please?

10.12.2024 15:03 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Democracy For Sale A survey into people's attitudes to the health of British politics from leading investigative journalists who write about lobbying and dark money

Worried about #ElonMusk buying his way into UK politics? Think we need to take money out of our democracy?

Help #DemocracyForSale's people-powered plan to #SafeguardDemocracy by taking this short survey: democracyforsale.co.uk/safeguard Please share. Thanks!

05.12.2024 08:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1738    ๐Ÿ” 1220    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 126    ๐Ÿ“Œ 155
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Revealed: Government gave ยฃ450m in subsidies to sewage-dumping water firm New documents show government handed taxpayer cash to South West Water while the company paid out billions to shareholders and dumped raw sewage into the ocean

๐ŸšจSCOOP: UK government spent ยฃ450MILLION subsiding bills at one of Britainโ€™s worst performing water companies

While South West Waterโ€™s owners paid shareholders ยฃ1.5 BILLION+ in dividends and company poured sewage into the sea

New on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-g...

25.11.2024 14:03 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 689    ๐Ÿ” 419    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 33    ๐Ÿ“Œ 31

Rob Abrams @sascampaigns.bsky.social told us: โ€œThe government would have us believe they've got the water industry over the barrel when this story shows it's entirely the other way round.โ€

25.11.2024 14:05 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Revealed: Government gave ยฃ450m in subsidies to sewage-dumping water firm New documents show government handed taxpayer cash to South West Water while the company paid out billions to shareholders and dumped raw sewage into the ocean

SCCOP: the Government has given ยฃ450m in subsidies to a sewage-dumping water firm that paid out billions to shareholders. New on Democracy for Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-g... @petergeoghegan.bsky.social

25.11.2024 14:03 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Post image

"goodbye grey skies, hello blue"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6NW...

18.11.2024 18:08 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 7    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Here now @direthoughts.com and hello, world :)

18.11.2024 18:05 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Tory minister used official visit to Azerbaijan to promote party donorโ€™s business Exclusive: Foreign office minister Leo Docherty posed on one of Lord Bamfordโ€™s JCB diggers in Baku when the company wanted to โ€˜raise their profileโ€™ in the country.

๐Ÿšจ SCOOP: Tory foreign minister minister used official visit to Azerbaijan to promote party donorโ€™s business

Leo Docherty used trip to Baku to promote JCB, whose owners the Bamfords have given millions to the Conservatives

New on Democracy for Sale:
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/tory-minis...

16.11.2024 17:47 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 250    ๐Ÿ” 152    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 16    ๐Ÿ“Œ 8

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