I worked on the original investigation with @byrobdavies.bsky.social and others. I think it's hard to understate just how far the rot spreads. Abramovich took over Chelsea in July 2003. The first football agreements routed offshore via BVI companies (for "scouting services") began within 4 months!

Rob Davies@byrobdavies.bsky.social · 5d ago

Well, the final whistle on Chelsea FC's financial cheating under Abramovich seems to have blown. The Guardian and our reporting partners practically put it on a plate for the FA and Premier League. They blazed it over the bar. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Pitch: Instead of penalties (arbitrary, overly tense etc), if the scores are still level at 90 minutes, why not introduce... a second ball? #MultiBall

“Scottish Water is absolutely something that UK gov't could learn from. It was established quite deliberately as a public corporation. There are upsides and downsides to that - it's not beyond criticism. But compared to privatised English companies, it has been a stable model that's performed well.”

Quiet Riot@quietriotpod.bsky.social · last mo.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 B-SIDE: The Scotland Lab 👨🏽‍🎓 Can Burnham learn from Scot devo? 🪨 What might his plans mean for Scots? 🌹 Should Scot Labour split off? @mrkennycampbell.bsky.social with @ipprscotland.bsky.social's @stephenboydippr.bsky.social 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/7555... 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/q...

Meanwhile, in the BBC comment section.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteri...

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2mo ago

The return of the bridal suit! Will Dua Lipa’s look change the face of weddings?

Latest from myself at TBIJ, working alongside the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC): Digital payments giant Wise is under investigation by prosecutors in Belgium over concerns its accounts have been used by criminals to launder the proceeds of fraud, corruption and drug trafficking.

Money transfer giant Wise investigated for half a billion in…

Prosecutors looking into whether digital finance firm has been used to launder proceeds of fraud, corruption and drug trafficking

thebureauinvestigates.com

Yup, sounds about right.

A security... reward?

Peter Geoghegan@petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 3mo ago

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

So Amy Winehouse's father's lawyers, (Russells): - Made false claims that her friends stole Amy's possessions to sell at auction - "Bombarded" (judges words) the same friends with multiple highly aggressive legal letters in quick succession. Any consequences? www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/most-ag...

'Most aggressive lawyers in London' in Winehouse auction litigation

Singer's father instructed his solicitors to 'bombard the defendants with aggressive letters and the threat of litigation'.

lawgazette.co.uk

I'm here for this.

Martin Nicholls@martinnicholls.bsky.social · 5mo ago

In honour of the Sunday Telegraph's editor and offical maddest columnist, we have created the Allister Heath headline generator... stirring-fox-7e1fab.netlify.app

Lightweight. Personally I yearn for the pre-money age. What was wrong with bartering with cows. Those were the days (I presume).

Roland Smith@rolandmcs.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Dan wasn't even born before decimalisation (nor was he anywhere near the UK when he was born) but still he yearns for Britain's pre-decimal times 55 years later.

Did not realise this was now the standard measurement for ancient cities.

Which of his ten thousand on-the-side jobs will he work in the particular office for though.

Peter Stefanovic@peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 6mo ago

BREAKING: Nigel Farage calls for an end to working from home and the focus on work-life balance "People aren't more productive working from home - it's a load of nonsense” Whatever you do JUST DON’T VOTE REFORM!

Really need a 90s/00s obscure-sports-underdog movie but for curling.

NEW from TBIJ w/ BBC - Mandelson recommended private villa to Epstein, less than a month after the latter's house arrest finished. He said the house offered "beautiful suites" and “privacy with accompanying rooms for your ‘guests’”: www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...

Mandelson emailed Epstein suggesting private villa ‘for your “guests”’

Redacted email deciphered by TBIJ shows former politician suggesting holiday home for convicted sex offender

thebureauinvestigates.com

Can't believe Paul Tweed's not a Private Eye fan.

Private Eye Magazine@privateeyenews.bsky.social · 6mo ago

PRIVATE EYE NAMED IN EPSTEIN FILES In the latest files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the US Justice Department, the Eye is denounced as “an absolute rag of a publication” by Epstein’s then lawyer, Paul Tweed… 🧵1/5

Impeccable timing that YouTube has now started pitching "Visit the USA" adverts at me. I'm good thanks.

I mean the test system is so broken that it effectively is over 6 months before you can get a test anyway.... BBC News - Learner drivers may have to wait six months before taking test www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Learner drivers may have to wait six months before taking test

A minimum learning period of up to six months could be introduced for learner drivers

bbc.co.uk

"It's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on its head"

Lo and behold the company in question is based in Belize. I feel like even by the incredibly low standard of offshore secrecy jurisdictions, Belize is just a complete and utter blackhole of transparency.

Joe Tidy BBC News@joetidy.bsky.social · 8mo ago

UK's Ofcom keeps issuing fines to companies which fail to put adequate age gating into sites. But companies are just ignoring them. Online Safety Act is proving very hard to enact. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

As someone who needed to take [redacted] number of tests before I passed, and so was fully aware of just how broken the booking system was in practice, any improvement is a good sign. That said, I'm curious as to how this will actually work in practice. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New law to clamp down on driving test bots

The Transport Secretary has announced new measures to tackle the continuing backlog of driving tests.

bbc.co.uk

Nice work by TBIJ on Carter-Ruck, a scumbag law firm always willing to help organized crime try to shut down journalism, or in this case, criminals to perpetuate a scam. These firms are not acting in the public interest. They should be made to pay restitution to any victims harmed in this case.

Dan Neidle@danneidle.bsky.social · 11mo ago

NEW: Britain’s fiercest libel firm, Carter-Ruck, acted for the $4bn OneCoin fraud and threatened its critics. Now they’re being prosecuted at the SDT. Their response? An anonymity order to cover it up. But Carter-Ruck just lost that order - and it's all coming out. Thread

I've been considering whether to do this for months. Now that Radiohead tickets are being offered for huge mark-ups on resale sites (as per our story today), I think the time has come. We're going to play a game of Catch The Ticket Tout. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/music/2025/s...

Radiohead condemn ‘exploitative’ touts and resale sites ahead of tour

Band urges fans to avoid secondary sites, where more than 1,000 potentially fraudulent tickets for their shows have been found

theguardian.com

The FA has brought 74 charges against Chelsea FC for a wide array of breaches between 2009 and 2022 - when a certain Roman Abramovich was in charge. Breaches include transactions with intermediaries and third party investments.

📢 Mentoring: At @tbij.bsky.social we are launching a mentorship programme open to both staff and freelance journalists interested in gaining experience and guidance on reporting on the family courts. Full details here 👉 tinyurl.com/42xdkk5b

Reminded of that time I submitted an FOI to the FCA for a copy of a contract they entered with a PR firm. They refused on "commercial sensitivity" grounds, I appealed saying they could redact some bits. They agreed and sent me this....

Someone's really got a Bede in their bonnet about this.

Twlldun@twlldun.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Oh god I’m going to have medievalists popping up in my mentions arguing over when England formed now. I don’t care about your Heptarchy, mate, do one.

Just over a year since this excellent piece by @jacobsteinberg1.bsky.social and its only become truer. Vitesse has now had its licence revoked (a decision upheld by the Dutch courts), it can no longer play in professional leagues and may cease to exist. www.theguardian.com/football/art...

Geopolitics comes to Vitesse: how ‘Chelsea B’ were swallowed by Abramovich associates | Jacob Steinberg

Fans of the Eredivisie club hoped takeovers would transform their fortunes, but instead they face an existential threat to their future

theguardian.com

The original story, a 5,000 word deep dive on the "most feared" libel firm in the UK is here: www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023... Anyway, if you like the work, become a member today – TBIJ relies on donations and even small amounts go a long way: www.thebureauinvestigates.com/support-us

Britain’s fiercest libel firm can pursue anyone, anywhere

The government is trying to rein in firms like Carter-Ruck. It’s not easy

thebureauinvestigates.com

Vile firm reaps what it sows. Interesting update from SRA which comes off the back of Ed's mammoth piece on Carter Ruck back in 2023....

Ed Siddons@edsiddons.bsky.social · 12mo ago

NEW: The legal regulator has announced that it is prosecuting a senior lawyer at libel firm Carter-Ruck for an “improper” threat to sue. The complaint to the regulator was filed after our @tbij.bsky.social & @economist.com longread on the firm. www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025...