Rachel Rees
@rachel-rees.bsky.social
Journalist at the Financial Times, ex London Centric. Not the chancellor. Email me on rachel.rees@ft.com
Betting account in Cottrell’s name received $9mn in crypto from unidentified sources ft.trib.al/8PXAsSa
Betting account in Cottrell’s name received $9mn in crypto from unidentified sources
Deposits in Polymarket wallet came as convicted fraudster was providing gifts to Farage
ft.trib.al
Scoop by @rachel-rees.bsky.social leaves another senior Reform figure facing questions about their finances:
Robert Jenrick’s wife knew in 2024 about foreign payments to his top donor, lawyer claimed
Police are investigating the legality of donations to the politician during his Conservative Party leadership bid
as.ft.com
Scoop for @financialtimes.com: Robert Jenrick’s wife knew in late 2024 that her husband’s top donor received payments from a US company now at the centre of a police investigation into potentially illegal foreign donations, according to a claim by a US lawyer. as.ft.com/r/24c5822f-0...
Robert Jenrick’s wife knew in 2024 about foreign payments to his top donor, lawyer claimed
Police are investigating the legality of donations to the politician during his Conservative Party leadership bid
as.ft.com
Police have launched a probe into donations to Robert Jenrick's 2024 Tory leadership campaign, amid concerns that £37,500 wrongly came from an overseas donor (who later pleaded guilty to wire fraud) No suggestion of wrongdoing by Jenrick, who says he has had "no contact with the Met" on the matter
On a balmy summer afternoon in Clacton-on-Sea, Nigel Farage’s latest act has prompted something rare in politics: a near consensus. Read my dispatch from journos’ new favourite place here: as.ft.com/r/4334da0b-5...
‘Nigel can fix it’ — what Clacton voters think of Farage’s gambit
Many people in the seaside town, whether supporters of the rightwing populist or not, are pleased with move by Reform UK leader
as.ft.com
The prospect of Nigel Farage fighting a people vs the establishment by-election in which the only other candidate is Count Binface - is too hilarious for words.
"In one chapter [of Cottrell's book] entitled 'The Art of the Bribe', [he] sets out how politicians can be bought....'Long-term relationships keep the bought person in hand while you're making money'". Subtle. www.ft.com/content/7a0f...
Nigel Farage under scrutiny over aide who wrote book on money-laundering
Reform UK says gifts from convicted fraudster George Cottrell were personal despite him having party business card
ft.com
In his book 'How to Launder Money', Posh George, the Farage aide at the heart of Reform's latest controversy, has a chapter on 'The Art of the Bribe' He and his co-author recommend small gifts (explainable as “a mistake of overexuberance in friendship”) and "Paying some of the target’s expenses”
Parliament watchdog urged to investigate Nigel Farage over benefits from fraudster ft.trib.al/ZhqHsdR
Parliament watchdog urged to investigate Nigel Farage over benefits from fraudster
Call for new inquiry into ‘in-kind’ benefits from aide before Reform leader’s election as MP in July 2024
ft.trib.al
I love the FT picture editor for deciding this was a move that warranted the sunglasses pic
Financial Times@financialtimes.com · last mo.UK’s culture secretary and department quit X citing concerns over democracy ft.trib.al/1AV7wrF
Reform's Nigel Farage has declared his biggest single payment as an MP: £270,000 for 12 hours of work as a brand ambassador for gold dealer Direct Bullion, paid in May (also happening now: gold's worst quarter in more than a decade) scoop w Elizabeth Bratton for @financialtimes.com
Nigel Farage’s pay from gold dealer doubles to £22,500 an hour
Reform UK leader’s financial declaration comes amid continuing questions about £5mn gift
as.ft.com
FT exclusive: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has declared his biggest single payment as an MP, receiving £270,000 from a bullion dealer, doubling his fee from 2025 ft.trib.al/8shwe6I
Great to see Jenny’s pics here getting so much love! She managed to make sewage gruesomely photogenic last year when I wrote for London Centric about the capital’s other sewage scandal, tracing sewage from a wealthy Crouch End street to the Thames www.londoncentric.media/p/misconnect...
Jim Waterson@jim.londoncentric.media · last mo.Many people are saying that! Exclusive stories on why the Thames is full of sewage despite a new sewer, Deliveroo paying bonuses to hydrate riders/get people out doing deliveries, and other topics. The pics are the best bit though: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-hea...
Nigel Farage has shielded himself from public scrutiny in recent weeks, in the wake of revelations about his undeclared £5mn gift from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne in 2024 Farage held 20 press conferences from Jan to April — but just 1 last month w @annasophiegross.bsky.social
Nigel Farage scales back press events amid scrutiny over £5mn gift from crypto investor
Senior figures suggest Reform leader has been working behind the scenes on party strategy
as.ft.com
FT scoop: A US fraudster accused of illicitly funding Robert Jenrick’s Conservative leadership campaign met one of Jenrick’s current aides as part of a group to discuss the future of the Tory party, months before the alleged donations (not convicted at time) Free: as.ft.com/r/462555d8-2...
Robert Jenrick aide met US businessman accused of illicit donation
Emails raise further questions over Tory-turned-Reform UK politician’s knowledge of 2024 campaign contribution
as.ft.com
Interesting development on that strange Robert Jenrick donation by @rachel-rees.bsky.social that I expect will get picked up other places soon. www.ft.com/content/5eb7...
Robert Jenrick aide met US businessman accused of illicit donation
Emails raise further questions over Tory-turned-Reform UK politician’s knowledge of 2024 campaign contribution
ft.com
Right-wing UK MPs are posting far more on X/twitter since Musk's takeover, while the left retreats (but has not fully abandoned the site) One notable exception is the very online @zackpolanski.bsky.social My article w @pickardje.bsky.social & @rachel-rees.bsky.social as.ft.com/r/295c9f7e-c...
In the wake of our @financialtimes.com article, the PM today made his strongest criticism of Musk to date Starmer accused the billionaire of “trying to whip up division” and “interfering in our politics” Updated story here - as.ft.com/r/eafa2b54-9...
Amy Borrett@amyborrett.ft.com · 2mo ago🚀 Elon Musk has shifted focus from SpaceX to UK politics, amplifying far-right voices to his 240mn followers. We found a third of Musk's recent posts focused on the UK, a 10-year high, raising concern about his political influence ahead of a critical by-election. as.ft.com/r/b1cb096a-e...
You might think the world's richest man has a $1.8tn IPO to distract him, but no… In the words of @eddavey.libdems.org.uk, Musk "seems hell-bent on injecting poison" into UK politics
Amy Borrett@amyborrett.ft.com · 2mo ago🚀 Elon Musk has shifted focus from SpaceX to UK politics, amplifying far-right voices to his 240mn followers. We found a third of Musk's recent posts focused on the UK, a 10-year high, raising concern about his political influence ahead of a critical by-election. as.ft.com/r/b1cb096a-e...
🚀 Elon Musk has shifted focus from SpaceX to UK politics, amplifying far-right voices to his 240mn followers. We found a third of Musk's recent posts focused on the UK, a 10-year high, raising concern about his political influence ahead of a critical by-election. as.ft.com/r/b1cb096a-e...
If you read one thing today, make it @stephenkb.bsky.social's admirably clear and rational analysis of the police's actions following Henry Nowak's murder, from the @financialtimes.com Inside Politics newsletter www.ft.com/content/aa94...
What Henry Nowak’s murder does — and does not — tell us about policing
Kemi Badenoch says his killing needs to be seen as a ‘Stephen Lawrence moment’ but the failures in both cases differ
ft.com
Read @amyborrett.ft.com and I's Restore "hit piece" — on how world's richest man Elon Musk is amplifying Rupert Lowe, the far-right nativist party's founder — for free here: as.ft.com/r/3ee6cd78-b...
A fun Sunday read on Zack Polanski today, incl: - the “massive strop” around his departure from the LDs - another CV fib - a senior Green fig saying his social media use is the party’s “biggest liability” w @annasophiegross.bsky.social, for @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/2c3a...
Zack Polanski’s journey from Liberal Democrat convert to Green leader
Leftwing politician faces allegations that he misled the public on issues such as his career
ft.com
EXCL: A maker of electronic parts used in UK and other European biometric passports is owned by an investor group led by two Chinese companies that are on a US export restrictions list w/ @rachel-rees.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/d4b9...
UK and European passports linked to restricted Chinese investors
Critics raise concerns around critical national infrastructure and potential counterfeiting
ft.com
Tech billionaires should not be able to tilt British democracy from Silicon Valley boardrooms. Here’s how we could legislate to stop social media platforms amplifying the Far Right for profit or political influence. 🧵
Amy Borrett@amyborrett.ft.com · 2mo ago🚨Elon Musk has boosted the public profile of Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe on X, pulling Britain’s political discourse towards extreme content and amplifying his influence ahead of a knife-edge election in Makerfield More @FT: as.ft.com/r/80f4639f-0...
