Steve Goodrich
@stevejgoodrich.bsky.social
Head of Research and Investigations at Transparency International UK. Formerly at Electoral Commission. Following the money.
New: A business that made a six-figure donation to Reform UK received interest-free loans of £67m from unnamed “related companies” in the months before, raising questions about the possible origin of the funds. observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Reform given six-figure donation by firm that received £6...
Nigel Farage’s party is facing questions about the lack of transparency over £100,000 in funds donated by a management consultancy
observer.co.uk
Anniversaries are seldom fun in my line of work, and this one is no exception: 3yrs since Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu was arrested by the Azerbaijani authorities. We've had four Foreign Secretaries since then. I hope the new one will advocate for his release. www.transparency.org.uk/news/uk-anti...
UK anti-corruption organisations call for release of LSE academic detained in Azerbaijan on anniversary of arrest
transparency.org.uk
🎥The Covid Inquiry report exposed the failures of the VIP lane for PPE contracts. Money was wasted and trust was broken in a time of critical need. It is imperative the current Government learns from these mistakes and takes steps to ensure this never happens again.
Your chance to be the new Chair of the incoming Information Commission - apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/9276
Appointment details – Information Commission Chair – Apply for a public appointment – GOV.UK
apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk
COVID-19 INQUIRY: VIP LANE INCREASED "RISK OF ABUSE" £10 billion of public money was wasted and five years later, nobody has yet been held to account. It's critical the Government learn the lessons from this and go further to guard against the risk of corruption in future emergencies. More ⤵️
"Due to a gap in electoral law, Lowe does not have to declare where Restore Britain's £2.5 million startup cash came from." ✍️ @josiahmortimer.bsky.social and @mc00.bsky.social bylinetimes.com/2026/07/10/w...
Who Is Really Bankrolling Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain
Byline Times investigates the figures behind the Elon Musk-backed far-right rival to Nigel Farage's Reform UK
bylinetimes.com
A quick reminder that there are yet to be any successful prosecutions under s.61 PPERA, only s.54(7) www.theguardian.com/politics/202... Here's the last, and so far only, prosecution to date www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-engl... Curious to see whether there's sufficient evidence to prove conspiracy.
Police investigate £500,000 Reform donations from mother of fraudster who backed Farage
George Cottrell’s mother, Fiona, at centre of criminal inquiry over potential evasion of restrictions on donations
theguardian.com
This is one way we could change the way we do politics for the better. Even the lobbying industry agree, and other countries do this fairly well eg. Germany, Canada, US, Ireland. Over to you ministers... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
All lobbying should be publicly declared in transparency laws shake-up, watchdog says
Ethics and integrity commission chief says overhaul is crucial to help restore trust in standards
theguardian.com
No by election can hide the mess sorting out millionaires making of our politics their playground is causing - help close this loophole and ask your MP to co sign NC71 of the representation of the people bill to cap donations. Please share to spread the word!
📜Amendments for the Representation of the People Bill your MP should sign-up to👇 - pre-candidacy donation controls (NC60) - permissibility of funds for new parties (NC61) - lower national spending limits (NC70) - universal donations cap (NC71) publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbi...
Contrary to what some claim, there is money in politics after all. And that's a big problem we need to confront. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Trump’s $2bn bonanza heralds the rise of political grifters across the west
With voters embracing leaders who brazenly monetise public office, experts say an ethical code is breaking down
theguardian.com
Gov's overseas voter donor cap is: - overly complicated - designed to target one man and one party - fails to do that effectively - misses the point (that it's big donors generally, not just Harborne that are the problem) Cap all donations and then we're talking! observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Crypto billionaires face 12-month block on political dona...
New bill proposes restriction for overseas voters returning to the UK in bid to protect electoral system from potential foreign interference
observer.co.uk
📺Big money is corrupting UK politics. Mega donations are being used by the super rich to get power and influence, too often at the expense of the public interest. We were in Parliament today making the case that it's time for change. More below ⤵️
Why ministers' pledge to cap only overseas donations was futile, shortsighted and ineffective. Big money is the problem, not just Harborne. www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Billionaire Reform UK supporter registers to vote in Britain
Christopher Harborne, the British-Thai cryptocurrency billionaire, who gave Nigel Farage a £5m gift, had his name restored to the electoral roll earlier this month
thetimes.com
🔎 NEW: Almost 1 in 6 peers holds a paid political advisory role that carries a significant lobbying risk. The House of Lords is meant to be a place of independent scrutiny — not a network of political advisers for hire. Our investigation ⤵️ www.transparency.org.uk/news/house-l...
The House of Lords has become a lobbying network for hire
Almost one in six peers holds a political advisory role that presents a significant lobbying risk
transparency.org.uk
🚨NEW from @transparencyuk.bsky.social Almost one in six peers holds a political advisory role that presents a significant lobbying risk 🔎 More details and recommendations for change 👇 www.transparency.org.uk/news/house-l...
The House of Lords has become a lobbying network for hire
Almost one in six peers holds a political advisory role that presents a significant lobbying risk
transparency.org.uk
Most curious bit about this story is the location of Yuan Yihua's Nine Elm properties, directly overlooking the US Embassy www.occrp.org/en/news/uk-t... Perhaps coincidence or reflects his love of glass-bottomed pools.
U.K. Targets $68M in Properties Owned by China-Born Man with Multiple Citizenships
Britain's land registry shows requests for freezing order on luxury properties owned by Yuan Yihua, who holds so-called “golden passports” issued in return for investments in Cyprus, Cambodia and Vanu...
occrp.org
This is an important point concerning what seems the most impactful and low cost way for Musk to interfere on our democracy (at least for him) questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-ques... Who needs to donate $100m in cash when you can rig your own algorithm for free?
Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.
questions-statements.parliament.uk
ICYMI FCA ceases activities of electronic payment systems provider, Euro Exchange Securities UK www.fca.org.uk/news/press-r... subject to an appeal hearing on 11 June. @transparencyuk.bsky.social raised concerns about owners of the company back in 2024 www.transparency.org.uk/sites/defaul...
🗣️"The lesson from this saga should be that open government in the first place serves the public better than belated dumps of data long after the event." @muteswann.bsky.social in the BBC on revelations Douglas Alexander failed to initially declare a meeting with Global Counsel. More below ⤵
SNP demand probe into Alexander meeting with Mandelson's firm
Newly-released files confirm Douglas Alexander met with Global Counsel in summer 2024 but it was not publicly declared until earlier this year.
bbc.co.uk
61% of all political donations in the last quarter came from just 14 people Reform took in £9.3m from a handful of super rich donors British democracy is being bought. We urgently need action to take the money out of our politics
Steve Goodrich@stevejgoodrich.bsky.social · 2mo agoSome quick thoughts on Q1 2026 donations data from @electoralcommission.org.uk 🧵 HEADLINE STATS Total: £20.7m (excl. public funds) Biggest recipient: Reform £9.3m Biggest donor: Ben Delo £4m to Reform Donors giving £1m+: £9.2m (44%) from 3 donors Donors giving £250k+: £12.7m (61%) from 14 donors
Some quick thoughts on Q1 2026 donations data from @electoralcommission.org.uk 🧵 HEADLINE STATS Total: £20.7m (excl. public funds) Biggest recipient: Reform £9.3m Biggest donor: Ben Delo £4m to Reform Donors giving £1m+: £9.2m (44%) from 3 donors Donors giving £250k+: £12.7m (61%) from 14 donors
💷 BIG MONEY CORRUPTS UK DEMOCRACY The last election was the most expensive in modern British history. Too often, it's our politics that pays the price. To stop the super-rich buying UK democracy, we need a cap on all donations - and recent polling finds 92% of the public agree. More ⤵️
Former UK technology secretary Peter Kyle agreed to include “more positive language about artificial intelligence” in a speech last year on the advice of Lord Peter Mandelson, co-founder of an advisory firm that worked for OpenAI and Palantir www.ft.com/content/1b3e...
Peter Kyle agreed to include ‘more positive language’ in AI speech after Mandelson’s advice
Documents raise questions since the advisory firm co-founded by Labour veteran represented big AI companies
ft.com
PODCAST | The £5m question: Who funds our politicians? In our latest episode, we are joined by @duncanhames.bsky.social of @transparencyuk.bsky.social to discuss whether the current transparency regime is working and the merits of a cap on donations. www.hansardsociety.org.uk/news/parliam...
Often we get asked 'why does corruption matter? Isn't it just a Westminster storm in a teacup?' Tell that to these residents of Corby www.common-wealth.org/interactive/... #CleanUpWestminster www.instagram.com/reel/DYmdypj...
💷 BIG MONEY CORRUPTS UK POLITICS In 2015, £1m+ donations made up just 1% of private political donations. By 2024? They made up more than a third. Today, it was put straight to the PM: the Election's Bill doesn't go far enough. It’s well past time to cap donations & end big money in politics.
The £5 million question: why Britain's political donation rules are broken www.transparency.org.uk/news/ps5-mil...
The £5 million question: why Britain's political donation rules are broken
Nigel Farage's multi-million pound gift exposes a gaping hole in our democracy
transparency.org.uk
We're #Hiring! We're looking for an entrepreneurial leader to relaunch and build the next phase of the UK Democracy Network. 👉 UK Democracy Network Director £60-70K ➡️ For more information, and to apply, please see here: thepoliticsproject.org.uk/vacancies-op...
