Director of Policy @TransparencyUK.bsky.social, governor at Westminster Foundation for Democracy, JRRT director, and former MP (2010-15). Husband to @joswinson.bsky.social, Dad to 3 boys, and recent King’s war studies MA. All views here are my own etc.
Duncan Hames
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Does Starmer think the government really have done enough to protect our democracy?
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
Starmer did not agree to the prospect of banning large donations, but said the government “will do whatever is necessary to protect our democracy from foreign influence and dirty money”:
Well now, this is getting interesting:
Floodgates have been opened to big money from UK politics' wealthiest donors. It's time the rest of us... took back control.
"the single most enlightening conversation [he] had in the last month on trade", yet somehow also the meeting to have overlooked. Genuine lobbying transparency in Westminster and Whitehall is long overdue.
Ever dreamt of being invited on to a podcast you listen to? It actually happened to me this week! Please do have a listen:
Ever dreamt of being invited on to a podcast you listen to? It actually happened to me this week! Please do have a listen:
🗣️"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 ⤵
This Overseas Territories Day, we celebrate the relationship the UK has with its territories but also acknowledge the challenges.
Secrecy in jurisdictions such as the BVI and the Cayman Islands continue to facilitate illicit finance at scale. And it comes with a serious human cost.
More below ⤵️
Prime minister says ‘£5m question still remains’, as pressure grows on Reform UK leader over Christopher Harborne gift
Reform’s financial reliance on the crypto industry is wild
www.ft.com/content/091c...
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
