So long as these registers stay out of reach of journalists and investigators, kleptocrats and criminals will keep exploiting our financial system to launder dirty money.
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Good to see @steffanaquarone.bsky.social holding the OT's to account for their ongoing failure to introduce public beneficial ownership registers π
Weβve campaigned for it to be scrapped, and the Government has now announced it will be removed through the upcoming Representation of the People Bill.
This was one of our three core asks for electoral reform. Next: ban cryptocurrency donations, and cap big-money donations.
π¨ πππππππππ πππ π
ππ πππππππππ π¨
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 π
Our asks are simple π
ποΈ Real independence and real teeth for the Electoral Commission
π· A hard limit on big donations
π» A ban on crypto donations
Political power in Britain should be earned, not bought.
A hard truth: a democracy can be stolen without anyone taking away a single vote.
Today, the Representation of the People Bill comes before the House. The UK must close the loopholes that let dirty money and foreign interference shape our politics unseen.
π We fully support growing calls from journalists and campaigners to ban SLAPP lawsuits in the next King's Speech.
These vexatious, anti-democratic weapons of lawfare - used to silence criticism by everyone from Russian warlords to rapists - have absolutely no place in a free and fair democracy.
6/ π« This much-anticipated bill is a golden opportunity to start restoring people's trust in how UK democracy operates.
Follow us βοΈ for more updates as it progresses through Parliament.
5/ π The proof will be in the pudding - we welcome increased powers for the Electoral Commission, but it needs to be fully independent if it's to be truly effective.
πͺ And the potential secrecy afforded by crypto means the only true safeguard is a full ban on all such political donations.
4/ ποΈ The Govt's Security Minister @danjarvismp.bsky.social pledged that the Bill will "further strengthen safeguards against covert political funding" by - amongst other things - increasing the powers of the Electoral Commission and safeguarding against the potential use of crypto by foreign actors.
3/ π£οΈ Meanwhile @alexsobel.co.uk , Chair of our friends at the APPG on Fair Elections and the APPG on Ukraine, recommended a raft of measures for the Bill.
β These include a ban on all overseas donations and tighter rules around disinformation.
2/ βοΈ While APPG member @joepowell.bsky.social pointed to the way Russian oligarchs can use our own systems against us.
π· The now-sanctioned Roman Abramovich used a SLAPP lawsuit to try to gag a journalist from publishing details of his relationship with President Putin.
π¨π½οΈπ§΅ 1/ Today, the Govt launches its Representation of the People Bill (previous working title: The Elections Bill).
One of the core aims of the Bill is to prevent foreign interference in UK democracy.
Earlier this week, our Chair @philbrickellmp.bsky.social said we need to ban crypto donations...
πͺ 3/ ...And embracing the upcoming Elections Bill to protect us from foreign interference and the distorting effects of mega donor political financing.
This much-anticipated bill is a golden opportunity to start restoring people's trust in how UK democracy operates.
Follow us βοΈ for more updates.
π£οΈ 2/ Phil says we need "root and branch reform - and we need it now."
This must include:
β A mechanism to remove disgraced peers
β° Urgent reviews of ministerial transparency and lobbying reform
βοΈ Statutory footing for the Ethics and Integrity Commission...
π½οΈ 1/ Today, Britain dropped to its lowest placing in @anticorruption.bsky.social's global Corruption Perceptions Index.
π¨ Our Chair @philbrickellmp.bsky.social says this "must serve as a wake-up call for the Government."
@transparencyuk.bsky.social
7/ Follow us π for more updates.
As we engage with the Government to try to make the upcoming Elections Bill as strong as it needs to be, you can read more of our recommendations around political integrity and ethics in our second Economic Crime Manifesto:
static1.squarespace.com/static/5e4a7...
6/ To rebuild trust, we now need to reform the Lords urgently:
βοΈ Put the Lordsβ appointments watchdog on a legal footing
β
Make every nomination pass a real integrity check
β Give the watchdog a hard veto over suspect candidates
β Cap the size of the House
β Remove titles from peers behaving badly
π€ 5/ The Mandelson leaks portray a system thatβs too easy to game - where sensitive insider information can be casually passed between friends for potentially enormous personal gains.
β 4/ From dodgy ministerial βVIP lanesβ, to senior figures appearing to escape consequences for serious misconduct, to good old-fashioned Russian bribery β the UKβs guardrails against bad actors trying to undermine our system are badly deficient.
π£οΈ 3/ While our member Lloyd Hatton MP points out that: "These reports appear to show a serving minister acting to advance foreign private interests over serving the public good."
The upcoming Elections Bill is a golden opportunity for the Govt to safeguard UK democracy against foreign interference.
π£οΈ 2/ Our Chair @philbrickellmp.bsky.social said:
βWe need root and branch House of Lords reform now.
βWhy, for example, is Michelle Mone still a peer when her company - which benefited from the βVIP Laneβ scandal - was ordered last year to repay the Govt Β£122m for breach of contract?β
π¨ 𧡠1/ The Peter Mandelson affair reaffirms that Britain still has major issues around undue influence and peerage processes.
So today we have called for a clearout of other peers who have behaved egregiously, and for wider reforms to the House of Lords.
We need to treat high street economic crime as a core public safety issue - with joined-up enforcement that can actually close these shops for good.
The proceeds are siphoned off for criminal purposes overseas - while our communities are left with dangerous, illegitimate front businesses that blight town centres and undercut honest traders.
They operate in plain sight - yet too often authorities lack the tools to shut them down properly.
Initiatives like βPride in Placeβ will only succeed if people feel their town centres are operating on a safe, fair footing.
Right now, hundreds of dodgy minimarts and barbershops are tied to a host of illegal activity, from drug supply to labour exploitation and people trafficking.
βThe Governmentβs safer streets mission must include tackling economic crime.β
Our Chair @philbrickellmp.bsky.social speaks in a debate about the need for the UK to be far more robust in its response to money laundering and serious criminality on high streets across the country π
5/ π Read our report on how tackling economic crime could boost growth at a time when it's most needed - freeing up vital funds to be spent on causes that benefit society:
anticorruption-responsibletax.org/cleanfoundat...
And as ever, follow us π for more updates.
4/ βοΈ This gives the impression that rules are optional for those with the means to game the system.
π° Communities across the UK pay their fair share, while billions that should be reclaimed from dirty money and tax abuse remain hidden.
3/ π The system may look tough, but this story shows improvements are urgently needed.
Bad actors can:
β claim thereβs no beneficial owner
ποΈ hide behind other offshore companies
π park assets in a trust
π² or simply fail to register and gamble that nothing will happen. Too often, it's a safe bet.
