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Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.uk Profile picture
Peter Geoghegan @ democracyforsale.uk
@PeterKGeoghegan
Investigative journalist @OCCRP. Best-selling author. Ex: @FerretScot, @openDemocracy + more Subscribe to my newsletter: https://t.co/sUZavzi98B
5 subscribers
May 6 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
🔴REVEALED: Richard Tice has used two companies to channel more than £2 million into Reform over the last four years

Reform’s accounts admit that it needed Tice’s cash to stay afloat

Like Jeremy Hunt, Tice is using his own money to bankroll his political career - is this how our democracy should work?

New from me: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/richard-tice…Image Reform has been very reliant on Richard Tice’s money

Since 2020, it has received more than 50 loans collectively worth around £1.4million from a company called Tisun Investments Ltd, which is owned by Tice.

Another company controlled by Tice, Leave Means Leave Limited, has also donated more than £1 million.

@SteveJGoodrich says that a company owned by a party leader making interest-free loans “raises questions as to whether they are in fact a donation.”

Tice says he is “very proud” to have put his money into an “entrepreneurial political start-up” and that around £350,000 of the loans have been repaid
Mar 14 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
🚨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
Feb 12 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
🔴 '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
Jan 28 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
🔴 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/…
Jan 11 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
🔴🔴🔴 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
Sep 21, 2023 • 6 tweets • 3 min read
🔴 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
Jul 20, 2023 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
🚨 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
Jul 13, 2023 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
🚨 The Liz Truss-backed ‘Growth Commission’ is led by senior figures from US and UK think tanks who have been funded by fossil fuels, climate change deniers, Big Tobacco and more.

New 'dark money' exclusive on my Substack:
(Please do subscribe!)democracyforsale.substack.com/p/liz-trusss-g… The Growth Commission launched yesterday with lots of press coverage, especially of Truss.

But who are they?

Turns out they're mostly drawn from 'dark money' think tanks such as the IEA and the Mercatus Center, notorious for pushing environmental deregulation in US
Jul 4, 2023 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
🚨🚨🚨 After 5 incredible years, I’m stepping down as CEO and Editor-in-Chief of @openDemocracy with immediate effect.

oD is a remarkable organisation, drawing talent from around the world to fulfil its vital mission: holding power to account and inspiring meaningful change 🧵 The work of @openDemocracy is needed now more than ever.

It has been a privilege to work with this exceptional team who will, no doubt, continue to deliver exciting and high impact work in the years ahead.
Mar 17, 2023 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
🚨 NHS bosses have ordered hospitals to share patients' medical records data with Palantir - the firm founded by billionaire Trump backer Peter Thiel.

Goes against explicit promise by UK government

*Big* scoop on @openDemocracy (and in Times) today 🧵
opendemocracy.net/en/palantir-pe…
Palantir is one of the most controversial firms in Silicon vallley.

It was funded by the CIA and produces surveillance tech for police and borders.

Peter Thiel donated millions to Donald Trump.

And, in 2020, Matt Hancock invited Palantir into NHS...
opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra…
Aug 25, 2022 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
🔥🔥🔥 HUGE WIN FOR @openDemocracy

Cabinet Office review into its 'Orwellian' Freedom of Information Clearing House calls for it to be disbanded and replaced with a 'centre of excellence'.

This comes after 2 years+ of reporting by @openDemocracy 🧵
gov.uk/government/pub… When we revealed in 2020 how the Clearing House was vetting Freedom of Information requests from journalists and preventing the release of 'sensitive' information, the Cabinet Office smeared us.

Michael Gove said we were "tendentious and ridiculous"

opendemocracy.net/en/freedom-of-…
Jun 10, 2022 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
🚨 Remember 'cash for ash' in Northern Ireland? Well it's been happening in Britain, too.

Tory minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan and senior backbench MPs are among those raking in a fortune from it.

Must read investigation by @carolinejmolloy @openDemocracy
opendemocracy.net/en/renewable-h… This story is *wild*.

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) was introduced in 2011 to encourage a shift to cleaner energy.

The regulator warned people were 'gaming' system - but government did nothing.

Meanwhile Tory MPs, members of the Lords and the very rich profited.
Apr 29, 2022 • 9 tweets • 5 min read
A parliamentary inquiry has condemned British government for running a secretive Freedom of Information 'clearing house'.

From moment @openDemocracy broke this story in 2019, government has smeared our work.

So: Any chance of an apology Mr Gove? 🧵
opendemocracy.net/en/freedom-of-… British government's attacks on @openDemocracy 's reporting started from moment we revealed that a Cabinet Office 'clearing house' was vetting Freedom of Information requests, in November 2019.

Cabinet Office denied that this was happening. It was
opendemocracy.net/en/freedom-of-…
Jan 19, 2022 • 5 tweets • 3 min read
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: UK government is refusing to say whether Sue Gray will record or publish interviews conducted during her Partygate investigation...

@JolyonMaugham says police should take over investigation as MP warns of 'white wash'

New @openDemocracy
opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra… Boris Johnson has repeatedly cited Sue Gray as an excuse to avoid Partygate questions - but how can the public access her investigation?

Cabinet Office refuses to say whether even a list is being kept of people whom Gray interviews during her probe.
Jan 14, 2022 • 4 tweets • 3 min read
🚨🚨🚨 Boom: Emails show how Sue Gray was consulted over decision to withhold information about Grenfell fire.

Grenfell campaigners dismiss excuse as “gobbledegook”.

Cracking @JennaCorderoy exclusive on @openDemocracy
opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-… Sue Gray has *serious* form on stymying transparency.

A campaigner this week said he had "no confidence" in Gray handling 'partygate' inquiry after she cited the Chilcot Inquiry as an example of how to “releas[e] the information in a managed way”.
opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra…
Nov 11, 2021 • 9 tweets • 7 min read
At 5pm (Thurs 11) we're hosting a live discussion on corruption in Britain (timely, no?) w/ @OliverBullough @susanpjhawley and @premnsikka

Do register to join
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

@openDemocracy has been leading the fight to clean up British politics for years (a thread) At the weekend, @openDemocracy (with the Sunday Times) revealed that Conservative treasurers who donate £3m to the party get seats in the House of Lords.

Fair to say the story made waves 😬
opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-…
Oct 30, 2021 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
I wrote a thing, for first time in ages.

Prompted by Telegraph story that said 'the British public wants a referendum on Net Zero'.

Surprise, surprise it's all astroturf and and dark money.

And it's not the only uncanny parallel w/Brexit campaign
opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-… From the ERG 2.0 - 'the Net Zero Scrutiny Group' - to fake grassroots campaigns fronted by Reclaim party reps to the rush of political donations from oil and gas companies to the Tories, the campaign against climate change really feels like early days of Brexit campaigning.
Jun 8, 2021 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
BOOM🚨British Government has lost three-year-long battle to block transparency over its secretive FOI 'Clearing House' unit

Judge finds a “profound lack of transparency” and Cabinet Office 'misled' court over its FOI operation

New @openDemocracy scoop:
opendemocracy.net/en/freedom-of-… Details of this case are *wild*.

Michael Gove has spent months thrashing @openDemocracy 's reporting. In April he called it "ridiculous and tendentious".

But behind scenes Gove's Cabinet Office was furiously backtracking, releasing bits of documents to try to make us go away.
Apr 14, 2021 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
🚨🚨🚨 Dozen+ firms received furlough cash after being awarded public contracts worth hundreds of millions.

Among them a digital marketing firm given £19m to supply medical gowns and pest control firm given £350m for PPE. 😬

Latest from @martinrw and me opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-… Faculty Science - was part-owned by a government minister when it was given Covid contracts - has received furlough cash.

So has Randox, which won £479m in COVID-testing contracts, and paid former government minister Owen Paterson £120 an hour to act as a consultant.
Feb 9, 2021 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
Today's big British media news:

Editors of Times, Guardian, Telegraph, FT, Mirror, Paul Dacre, and many others have all signed an @openDemocracy letter calling for 'urgent' investigation of Cabinet Office's secretive FOI 'Clearing House'.

opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra… #saveourfoi This show of Fleet Street unity follows directly from @openDemocracy 's reporting on how FOI requests are being stonewalled and requests from journalists and others are being vetted.

More on today's letter in @guardian theguardian.com/politics/2021/… and BBC bbc.com/news/uk-559882…
Jan 3, 2021 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Britain needs to deal with how, and why, a tiny group of newspaper columnists, backbench MPs, and anonymously funded thinktanks are able to warp public debate - with disastrous consequences.

My @guardian latest on the obsession with Sweden and Covid theguardian.com/commentisfree/… All the talk of Sweden - like 'alternative arrangements' during Brexit - has made a real difference to what Boris Johnson has done and, crucially, not done.

In September, PM decided not act after meeting with three pro-herd immunity scientists including Sweden's Anders Tegnell