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Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.substack Profile picture
@PeterKGeoghegan
Jun 16, 2020 • 3 tweets • 2 min read • Read on X
This #defundthebbc thing came on my radar again a few minutes ago so decided to take a bit of a closer look.

Not much info on site defundbbc.uk

But does have a privacy policy.

And guess what the only website with same privacy policy I can find is.... Brexit Central
Bar some very cosmetic differences the 'grassroots' DefundTheBBC site has the exact same policy as Brexit Central, the 'grassroot's news site set up by ex Vote Leave boss Matthew Elliott.

I couldn't find any other sites w/same policy google.co.uk/search?ei=VT_p… ImageImage
And Defund The BBC 'campaign' - which looks like it is closely tied to Brexit Central, which was bankrolled by Vote Leave donors - has had endless media attention.

This is exactly kind of astroturfing that has warped British politics. (See my new book headofzeus.com/books/97817895…)

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More from @PeterKGeoghegan

Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.substack Profile picture
Mar 14
🚨Did Government abuse FOI law to bury Liz Truss’s £15k food and booze bill?

🔴Freedom of Information should be 'applicant blind'
🔴So why was the FOI with Truss’s embarrassing in-flight bills to Politico before it went to the requester, @EmilyThornberry?
🔴Government trying to bury bad news on Budget Day?

New on Democracy for Sale:
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/foi-liz-trus…Image
This really is a v curious tale 🧵

Last year @EmilyThornberry sent an FOI about ministers spending on food and drink on private jets

For 1 year+ Cabinet Office delayed responding

Then, last Wednesday, CO responds with Truss £15k spend - but it sends the FOI to Politico at least 30mins before Thornberry gets it.... and suggests the story is published in that afternoon’s Politico Playbook email

Why last Wednesday? Well, was also Budget day… a very good day to bury bad news?Image
If government was trying to bury Truss’s in-flight spending in post-Budget scrum, didn't work

Politico published Truss story day after Budget, with @EmilyThornberry 's comments

But government’s seeming attempt to abuse the FOI process for political ends has not been reported
Read 8 tweets
Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.substack Profile picture
Feb 12
🔴 'POPCONS' EXCLUSIVE:

Documents suggest firm behind 'Popular Conservatives' owned by former IEA chief Mark Littlewood and his wife Angela Harbutt

Plus: Rees-Mogg rails against ‘Davos man’, while Liz Truss goes skiing with...Davos men

New on Substack:
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/popular-cons…
Image
'PopsCons’ are backed by a company called Popular Development Partners Ltd

The firm - which was only set up in October - has two directors: ex IEA chief Littlewood and ‘Angela Mannion’, who appears to have no online footprint (h/t @GoodLawProject)


Image
But based on various pieces of evidence, including email addresses and dates of birth, it appears that Angela Mannion is also Angela Harbutt .... who happens to be the wife of Mark Littlewood and, until August, director of development at IEA

gtnf.org/speakers/angel…
Read 7 tweets
Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.substack Profile picture
Jan 28
🔴 SUNAK SCOOP:

Rishi Sunak's wife owns a £610m stake in Infosys

The IT firm has been given £47m in public contracts since 2020

Now Infosys has, with other firms, been put on govt contract frameworks worth £750MILLION+.

New on my newsletter:
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/sunak-family…
Infosys has put on ‘framework agreements’ worth £750m+ - which mean company can be directly awarded millions in public contracts.

Sunak's father-in-law founded Infosys. Murty family own c £2.4bn of firm

My investigation also in today's Sunday Mirror

mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
Sunak has been reprimanded for failing to properly declare his wife’s holding in a childcare company

But - remarkably - PM does not have to declare his wife’s 39M Infosys shares on govt registers

Govt said ministers aren't involved in contract awards
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/sunak-family…
Read 4 tweets
Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.substack Profile picture
Jan 11
🔴🔴🔴 POST OFFICE SCOOP

'Egregious and alarming'

Call for 'urgent answers' about a prominent Tory donor and ex Fujitsu UK chair’s involvement in the awarding of £500m worth of broadband contracts.

New Democracy for Sale investigation 🧵

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/tory-donor-f…
Simon Blagden, ex chair of Fujitsu Telecommunications, has given >£400k to the Tories.

After he left Fujitsu, Blagden registered his lobbying firm, Avre Partnership Ltd.

It had a single client: alternative broadband provider CityFibre Ltd. Image
Bladgen’s firm stopped lobbying in June 2022.

Three weeks later Nadine Dorries appointed Blagden as chair of Building Digital UK.

Since Blagden became chair of BDUK, CityFibre - Blagden’s only lobbying client - has been given >£491m worth of public contracts...by BDUK
Read 9 tweets
Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.substack Profile picture
Sep 21, 2023
🔴 This time last year many said Tufton Street was 'finished' after Liz Truss crashed and burned.

Exactly 12 months later: Rishi Sunak's net zero U-turn.

And who is cheering loudest and claiming credit?

Tufton Street's dark money think tanks... and guess who funds them?🧵 Image
'Net Zero Watch' is the policy wing of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.

GWPF - address 55 Tufton Street - has received funding from US groups linked to the oil and gas sector, despite saying that it was independent of the fossil fuel industry...

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-the…
Image
The Global Warming Policy Foundation also has its own Parliamentary wing - 'the Net Zero Scrutiny Group' - based on the ERG.

This is the NZSG's leader, Craig Mackinlay.

Mackinlay employed an aide is also head of policy at campaign group Net Zero Watch.

politico.eu/article/tory-m…
Image
Read 6 tweets
Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.substack Profile picture
Jul 20, 2023
🚨 Here we go:

Tufton Street refuses to name its donors

But I've found documents that show Britain's secretive think tanks received huge sums from a major Tory donor, an influential Soviet-born billionaire and fossil fuel interests🧵

New on my Substack:
https://t.co/JrEFgUvpHCdemocracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-the…
Recently released US tax filings shine a new light on who's been funding influential Tufton Street think tanks.

Among the new names are:

- Len Blavatnik, who made his fortune after the Soviet Union's fall.

- Yan Hou, who has given £1m+ to the Tories

- US climate denialists
Many of the think tanks around 55 Tufton Street have ‘American Friends of’ groups to receive funding from US donors.

US tax filings show that Tufton Street's US arms raised $1m+ in 2021 alone - raising concerns about the potential influence of foreign money on British politics.
Read 9 tweets

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