Ethan Shone
@EJShone93
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Investigations @opendemocracy - The Dark Arts newsletter on Substack 👁️ dark money, lobbying, political corruption 👁️ — ethan.shone @opendemocracy .net
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Pinned Tweet
For the last few months I've been reporting on how corporate interests have been influencing Starmer's Labour
Here's a thread of everything I've uncovered, from cash-for-access scandals to secret meetings with arms firms to major lobbying campaigns
🧵
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The rules around lobbying mean we have no right to know who has been influencing Labour
So, for
@opendemocracy
, I found out
Here's my investigation into the massive lobbying effort that helped shape Labour's big business-friendly platform
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How have MPs reacted to 2nd jobs scandal?
- One has a new £60k job, on top of existing £50k second job
- Three Tories resign from second jobs
- MP says his role advising Teak growers in Ghana is now & always has been unpaid (despite previous entries)
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Spoke with
@PeterStefanovi2
about *that* video & the petition to make lying to parliament a crime
"The majority of people in this country are inherently honest, so how on earth can it be acceptable for the prime minister to do this over and over again?”
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@openDemocracy
Palantir, Amazon, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Fujitsu, Deloitte, PwC, EY, Google, The City of London Corporation, BP, Goldman Sachs, Thames Water, BlackRock, BlackStone, Telstra Health, Macquarie, Meta, SGN, EDF, Leonardo, BAE Systems, Cadent Gas, National Gas, Natwest,
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If I were David Lammy, topping up my £85k MPs salary with lucrative speeches for multinationals and presenting work, I would probably shut up about any disputes involving pay during a cost of living crisis
Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy says the chief whip will make clear this week that "a serious party of government does not join picket lines"
#SundayMorning
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We’re going to keep hearing this question forever because it suits everyone involved. It makes the interviewer look like they’re doing a hard question when what they’re really doing is absolving Starmer of most of the blame for his dire showing more than a year in
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@MatthewStadlen
@OwenJones84
@Keir_Starmer
Genuine Q: which do you think does more to harm Lab's chances at next GE, Owen Jones doing a video or creating a totally avoidable row that highlights party's internal divisions by sacking a shad minister for saying workers should get real pay rises during a cost of living crisis
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Remember all the handwringing this lot did about post-truth politics? That was a laugh wasn’t it
Marr states that Starmer's lying and scheming has been 'essential in getting us to where we are now'
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EXCLUSIVE:
@FreeNorthNow
will stand their first parliamentary candidate in the Hartlepool by election.
In a strongly worded statement, the party takes aim at "Westminster elites", Labour and "London-based" Keir Starmer.
More to follow...
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@openDemocracy
Think this is perhaps the most important bit of the piece, from
@MickMcAteer
, who spoke to me about the implications of the City’s successful lobbying for PFI 2.0
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Loooool wtf love to see a state broadcaster trying to depress turnout
BBC FB stories last night a few hours b4 voter registration deadline...
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Jesus christ this is just so shameless
“If you’re that glad why did you vote against it..you were shamed into it..do you regret voting against it now?”
The Health Secretary’s reply is shocking
Another masterclass from
@piersmorgan
in how to hold Gov’t to account
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@openDemocracy
On average, lobbyists sat down with Labour frontbenchers for secret meetings every working day for the last year
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Keir Starmer resigned as a patron of a refugee charity in his constituency last month, in order to "focus on the upcoming election"
But the charity says he's never helped them and his stance on immigration/asylum is incompatible with their values
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"No one is asking for the moon, people just want to be able to pay their rent and feed their kids" -
@BootstrapCook
tells MPs at the
@CommonsWorkPen
Monroe calls for the five-week UC delay to be scrapped which would lift people out of poverty overnight
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General Secretary of the
@RMTunion
Mick Lynch suggested that train companies have little incentive to solve the ongoing dispute, as their profits are subsidised by government regardless of performance
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As I revealed here, McFadden met in private with asset manager Macquarie last year - it will be firms like Macquarie & BlackRock that Labour looks to for this private investment
If you want to know how that’s going to turn out, look at Thames Water
Pat McFadden admits GB energy isn't an energy company at all, but is actually a finance company designed to generate private sector investment.
We saw how well PFI worked in the NHS. Now Labour wants to roll it out in the energy sector.
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The injustice of the
#claddingscandal
summed up...
“It just can’t be right that my daughter will be asked to pay more toward the cost of these remediations than the people that commissioned and carried out the work, or who actually own the property.”
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Labour Together is funded largely by hedge funders and financial services types, and recently appointed to their board the chair of a lobbying firm that represents Macquarie, which loaded Thames Water with billions of debt while drawing massive dividends
“Integrity”
Integrity matters in politics.
I saw up close a leader who completely lacks it:
@jeremycorbyn
.
I’ve watched Prime Ministers who lack it too:
@BorisJohnson
and
@trussliz
.
One simple reason
@LabourTogether
is proud to be
@Keir_Starmer
’s provisional wing: he completely has it.
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The world's first openly non-binary city mayor, has joined the Breakthrough party.
They said Breakthrough is the only party in the UK that is “fundamentally progressive on all fronts” 👀
@BThroughParty
@OwenJHurcum
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"I can’t describe what it’s like to live in a flat that you poured your heart, soul and money into, that has now become your death trap"
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🚨 Labour lobbying 🚨
We reveal how many of Labour's candidates are lobbyists & that some of them have been facilitating meetings between their clients & frontbenchers
Plus, why I was barred from a panel event on Labour, the City and green finance
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Listed skills on Hancock's aide's LinkedIn include "public affairs" and "government relations" 👀
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New year, new job 🚨
Very excited to be joining the
@openDemocracy
investigations team, focusing on lobbying, dark money & political corruption
I’m staying in Edinburgh but will be in Westminster regularly. DMs are open and I’m always keen to meet for coffee, so get in touch!
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Yesterday GMB announced a 'sweetheart deal' with Deliveroo which effectively cuts out
@IWGBunion
- the union which has actually been organising platform workers
I spoke to organisers, union sources, plus
@CallumCant1
&
@eve_rebecca
about the 'partnership'
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NEW: Mayor of Greater Manchester
@AndyBurnhamGM
will address crowds at the March to the Quays protest in Salford this weekend, organised by
@McrCladiators
and
@EOCS_Official
@RLong_Bailey
and
@paul4citymayor
will also speak at the march
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Latest Cabinet Office accounts (19-20) show Cameron still getting his claim in, though Clegg seems to have dropped his - maybe something to do with that lucrative Facebook gig
There’s another myth, those who argue that Mr Cameron is simply a “private citizen” and divorced from the public realm. Except as a fmr Prime Minister he claims substatial sums of public money to run his office (via the Public Duty Costs Allowance).
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Why has Labour u-turned on scrapping the bankers' bonus cap?
Why has their policy on regulating financial services been described as "a love letter to the City" ?
Maybe this has something to do with it?
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Wonder if Labour will also be returning the £100k Kevin Craig gave the party last May, before he was selected unopposed to contest the seat…
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@GeorgeMonbiot
@jacobHeppleston
Many of them feature on the list of MPs who earn the most from "second jobs" too
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EXCL: New housing sec Michael Gove is set to snub
#claddingscandal
campaigners in Manchester tomorrow after
@McrCladiators
invited him to address leaseholders at a demonstration
Labour's
@AndyBurnhamGM
among confirmed speakers
#EndOurCladdingScandal
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Labour confirms it won’t publish a record of meetings before the election — it also refuses to say who was at specific meetings whenever I ask
In 2020 Starmer said “there should be no power without accountability, and true accountability requires transparency”
What’s changed?
🚨NEW: labour has refused to commit to disclosing meetings it has had with lobbyists in the run-up to the election
voters will have no idea who has influenced starmers policies before a likely labour government
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@lewis_goodall
Not just business either. Labour's press office details impossible to find through the website, not even a generic email listed
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That's the best one-sentence summary of everything wrong with this issue since this, from Stephen in Manchester:
"As a leaseholder I don’t own it, I didn’t design it, I didn’t build it, I didn’t sign off on it; but I’ve got the bill to pay?"
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An interview with
@Thelma_DWalker
,
@FreeNorthNow
's candidate in the
#HartlepoolByElection
"This isn’t a career move for me, I’ve put myself out there and I’ve had to be tough; you can imagine the comment and criticisms I’ve had from some in Labour"
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Leaseholders impacted by the
#claddingscandal
/
#BuildingSafetyCrisis
are set to protest against property developers all over the country next weekend
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The
@The_TUC
's mass lobby of parliament takes place this week
Around 600 people have contacted their MP to arrange a meeting - while the mass lobby will be followed by a rally featuring Mick Lynch,
@FrancesOGrady
and others
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1 in 5 of Boris Johnson's official meetings in 2020 & 2021 were with journalists and/or newspaper proprietors - including Rupert Murdoch on two occasions & an unnamed rep of Lebedev Holdings
Click to find out which former PM he also met with... 👀
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As a citizen I’ve been really depressed at how poorly the last few days and even weeks have been handled by top journalists.
But as a young journalist I’m absolutely buzzing - these are the best in the biz? Lol I’m already better than half these idiots and I’m still shit
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If any
#BuildingSafetyCrisis
or
#leasehold
campaigners would like to share their thoughts on the expected announcement on cladding today, my DMs are open!
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My latest little investigation for
@yorkshirepost
Around 1 in 7 MPs currently employ a family member or spouse, on as much as £55,000 pa - despite an IPSA report in 2017 saying the practice should end
You can check here to see if your MP is among them
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Exclusive: The government is late to respond to more than a dozen select committee inquiries, including one on cladding-remediation which is more than six months overdue
@EOCS_Official
@ukcag
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🚨 Professional news klaxon 🚨
I’m one of the many leaving National World. I’ve worked with some really talented people and done lots of work I’m really proud of (more on this later if I can be arsed to do a thread) but it’s time for a change!
Editors, get in touch 👀
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Can’t help but feel that our abysmal public transport systems and the fact that any notions of society and community have been systematically stamped out in the decades since Thatcher make us particularly vulnerable to this kind of crisis
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Keen to hear from anyone going to the
#EndOurCladdingScandal
protest today, or anyone who has been caught up in the Building Safety Crisis, about their views on the Government's proposals as they stand and whether they will actually help you
DMs are open
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@PhilHay_
Never been Marsch’s biggest fan, not entirely convinced by him, but there was plenty to be encouraged by in that performance
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ICYMI - I spoke to
@CWUnews
’
@DaveWardGS
about strikes, Starmer’s Labour and Levelling Up - plus the need for unions to start working together and cooperating with community orgs like
@ACORNunion
and
@Living_Rent
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NEW: MPs are calling for a special tax on 'astronomical profits' recorded by supermarkets to help ease the
#CostOfLivingCrisis
@johnmcdonnellMP
@RLong_Bailey
@RichardBurgon
and
@KatySClark
are backing a supermarket tax and price controls on staple goods
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City minister Tulip Siddiq shared a manifesto 3 times on LinkedIn during the election
But not Labour’s — the manifestos of the three major financial services lobbying orgs
An indication of how close Labour now is to the City of London and finance
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.
@libdemdaisy
has called for an inquiry into the government's handling of the
#BuildingSafetyCrisis
There are thousands of people currently stuck in unsafe, unsellable homes, facing massive bills, for problems which are not their fault or responsibility.
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🚨Labour cash-for-access 🚨
A £150k donation, six shadow ministers in an Edinburgh function room and exclusive early access to Labour plans for financial services
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@NationalWorld
is keen to shed light on this issue.
If you've been impacted by the
#Claddingscandal
either directly, or 'indirectly' like Anne, and you'd like to share your story please do get in touch - ethan.shone
@jpress
.co.uk
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I’m commissioning for
@theovertake
and looking esp. for pitches on politics/culture/drugs/climate change/social justice/young people/cool shit.
Keen to hear from beginners and young journalists. We pay, but not loads.
I'm on ethan.shone
@theovertake
.com
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National President of the
@BFAWUOfficial
- which severed ties with Labour last year over a "factional internal war led by the leadership" - is backing the
@FreeNorthNow
(Northern Independence Party) candidate in the Wakefield by-election
The cost of living is hitting everyone hard. Wakefield needs someone to stand up for working people and the unions that represent them. Christopher Jones of the Northern Independence Party stands firm with workers. That's why I endorse Chris for the Wakefield by-election
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@RoadsideMum
@rodjgrimmer
If you do want to speak with someone from the
@yorkshirepost
I'm available all day, and promise not to take up too much of your time
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Have definite issues with some of Insulate Britain's strategy, but there's something very weird about people who are just members of the public facing greater media scrutiny for their actions in trying to avert climate catastrophe than the politicians and companies causing it
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Lads, we can either admit that we’ve failed to call our mates out on inappropriate or creepy behaviour towards women in the past, or we can lie - those are the options
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The new code of conduct of MPs came into force this month, but some have argued for a stricter 'second jobs' regime -
@RichardBurgon
has called for an outright ban
He said parliament has not done enough to “stop the MPs’ second jobs gravy train”
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Good to see this from The New Statesman, following on from reporting by myself for
@openDemocracy
and
@pollysmythe
for
@novaramedia
Corporate lobbyists really are all over our politics, and we will feel the consqeunces of that in the years to come
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Obviously crap from a left perspective but also just dumb?
Lammy says he doesn’t support strikes and ‘posturing’ on picket lines, but he’s done just that previously - as DMail etc will now remind everyone
Some people support strikes, some don’t. No one likes a shifty hypocrite
Labour's David Lammy says he doesn't support BA workers at Heathrow taking strike action, which may disrupt summer holiday plans for passengers
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Thousands of students who were due to take A-level exams this summer are *still* being left behind, because the government's solution does not work for external students - me for
@VICEUK
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Campaigners have raised concerns about a 'golden circle' of executives who move from the regulator to housing associations, as the new Chair of the Regulator of Social Housing is the former chair of Network Homes, which overcharged tenants £500k
@HAWRNet
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On BBC news just now...
Victoria Derbyshire: Are some British newspapers bigoted?
Ian Murray, Society of Editors: No
Cool, that's that then.
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New/Exclusive: Campaigners are up in arms after a Tory MP defended the gambling industry in a debate on gambling harms last week without declaring an interest after being given tickets & hospitality to ENGvsDEN at the Euros worth £3k+
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Who sponsored Labour's business conference last week? A quick rundown 🧵
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At a press conference announcing the huge mandate for strike action at Royal Mail,
@CWUnews
'
@DaveWardGS
made a wider call to workers across the economy, particularly those on low-pay at companies like Amazon:
"Join a union, we will fight for you"
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“My bill might be cut from £80k to £40k as cladding is only part of the issue.”
“Almost worse than the financial burden is the uncertainty of the timeline.”
"What about buildings like mine, where those responsible have liquidated their company?"
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Third day of strike action at St Monica Trust, with around 100 carers walking out over 'fire and rehire' threats
More than 3000 people have signed a petition backing the workers, who've also won support from
@BarryGardiner
@RMTunion
& more
@UNISONSW
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📸Protesters gathered at King George Dock in Hull yesterday to voice their anger at P&O Ferries.
Led by
@RMTunion
national secretary
@dazprocter
, trade unionists blocked the terminal entrance - just the start of a national protest/boycott campaign
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Polling (
@OpiniumResearch
) carried out for GMB. Headline poll was on attitudes to the
#RailStrikes
, but GMB didn't run with another poll that showed
@RMTunion
's Mick Lynch with lowest net unfavourability of Johnson, Starmer and Sunak + highest 'very favourable'
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Couriers will be on strike across the North of England today, while they are encouraging a nationwide Valentine's Day boycott of JustEat.
Here's why.
@IWGBunion
@IWGB_CLB
#NoLoveForJustEat
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A group of activists from across the UK occupied JustEat's London HQ yesterday, in solidarity with Stuart couriers who are striking in cities and towns across the North of England
@IWGB_CLB
@SYorksCouriers
@IWGBunion
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A Labour candidate is the boss of the "leading health and social care" lobbying firm, which represents a scandal-hit care home provider and medical device companies
He's given £39,000 to Wes Streeting's office
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HSBC is one of many firms to have sent a staffer to work in a frontbencher's office in the last couple of years.
When I wrote this, the party hadn't declared the value of that secondment to the Electoral Commission, or in the MPs' register of interests
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A number of protests going ahead across the country today in support of
@UnitedScaffs
workers ahead of continuous strike action starting Wednesday.
Workers are calling on Actavo and British Steel to pay the rate
@unitetheunion
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@tompeck
From what I’ve seen most people seem to be asking whether the coverage is in any way proportionate to the story, rather than saying it isn’t a story at all
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Hate people saying "oh everyone's a politician now" sorry for tweeting about something which actually matters, rather than pictures of food
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@RossMcCaff
Like, I know this isn't the point, but what fucks me off is that I laugh at this meme because I know and regularly socialise with people exactly like 'the lads'. Brendan talks about them like some rare exotic aberration but in his mind he's the everyman and we're out-of-touch?
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Housing campaigners including
@HAWRNet
@ACORNunion
@KwajoHousing
are calling for a boycott of a 'lavish' industry awards event due to take place this Friday
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NEW: Keir Starmer's chief of staff Sue Gray took hospitality from Tory-linked lobbying firm Hawthorn Advisors
Gray attended the Braemar summit - nicknamed McDavos - in September alongside David Lammy
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Report on
@SYorksCouriers
& the longest gig economy strike in UK history
- Shutting down McDonalds ❌
- Police intervention on the picket line 🚓
- How the strike is spreading 🚩
- Support from
@johnmcdonnellMP
& more
@IWGBunion
@IWGB_CLB
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In February, after Labour confirmed it wouldn't restore the cap on banker bonuses despite Rachel Reeves saying otherwise, I wrote about the £millions that had flooded into the party from bankers & hedge fund bosses - there's been much more ££ since
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Can hear the speech at the next GE now, "Your choice in this election is clear, a party that abstains or a party that abstains, but tells you why"
STARMER: "When I abstain, I come to the House and explain - when the Prime Minister abstains he runs away to Afghanistan."
#PMQs
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EXCLUSIVE 🚨
In this quiet rural constituency in the East of England, voters have a choice between a Tory 'nepo-baby' and a Labour lobbying boss
Both are accused of 'buying' their way onto the ballot
Full story below ⬇️
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Urge everyone to listen to
@thebottlemen
as they are just incapable of writing anything other than pure belters
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In April, we uncovered evidence of a major cash-for-access scandal
Financial giant Bloomberg gave Labour £150k and within weeks the party held a secret meeting in Edinburgh where they got a sneak preview of the party's plans for financial services
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@Steven_Swinford
His firm also secured a number of private client briefings with senior Lab frontbenchers after the £100k donation, and Craig was ‘selected’ unopposed
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🚨 Corporate access klaxon 🚨
No journalists will be allowed to attend a private sold-out lobbying event taking place alongside Scottish Labour conference tomorrow, where business leaders will hear from and mix with senior MPs, MSPs and party officials
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