Dear John,

The sleaze and corruption of the Conservatives is still vivid in our minds. David Cameron’s notorious Greensill scandal, Johnson’s countless improprieties, and Sunak’s conflicts of interest can’t and shouldn’t be forgotten. A deep-rooted culture of corruption reared its head on numerous occasions, exposing the rot that’s blocked regular people out of politics.

Many are tempted to view the UK’s political corrosion as a party-political issue. The Conservatives, I’ve heard it said, were at the core of that noxious politics, and voting them out is all we needed to do to get rid of it. But things just aren’t ever that simple.

At Open Britain, we see this rot as a systemic issue, a corrosion that’s overtaking our entire political system – enabled by antiquated and lax campaign finance laws and Parliamentary regulations unfit for purpose. It’s far bigger than any party. The seeds of this culture were sowed by the inaction of past governments, and we’re reaching the tipping point for the distrust it’s been creating.

A recent essay ([link removed]) in the London Review of Books from investigative journalist Peter Geoghegan highlighted this well, showing that Starmer’s Labour is operating under similar dynamics to the Conservatives, especially when it comes to political lobbying.

The point isn’t to attack Starmer or Labour in particular, but to show how deep dodgy lobbying and dark money run in this broken political system. When the laws and safeguards are inadequate, corruption can often become the path of least resistance.

Here are three key points that Geoghegan made to show that Labour, too, has a lobbying problem:
* Business ‘Freebies’: Labour has received millions of pounds in-kind from private firms, including consultancy work, dinner meetings with lobbyists (who pick up the tab), concert tickets and more. Analysis ([link removed]) shows that Starmer in particular has already taken more freebies than every Labour leader since 1997 combined. As one backbench Labour MP told Geoghegan: “Business is running the show, and Starmer doesn’t realise that’s a problem.”
* ‘Big Money’ Influence: Labour raised record quantities of cash at this election, a substantial proportion of it from wealthy mega-donors and corporations. Those donors may expect something in return. According to one source of Geoghegan’s, “Labour decided not to propose a cap on political donations after a backlash from party donors.”
* A revolving door: A substantial number of high-profile former Labour MPs now work as industry lobbyists, and a lot of the new Labour MPs elected in July come from lobbying backgrounds. These unaccountable “strategic advisories” increasingly play a big role in driving party strategy and policy. As one journalist reportedly said: “I’d be shocked if there isn’t a lobbying scandal in the first year.”

That’s only scratching the surface. Our politics is awash with cash from unverified sources, and even what we can verify appears to be effectively buying policies.

As Geoghegan pointed out at the end of his piece, Labour has a unique opportunity to clean up our politics. He calls for many of the same policies we’ve been advocating for for years: a strong and independent electoral commission, lower campaign spending caps, more verification requirements for donation sources, and more. Read his piece ([link removed]) for his full series of recommendations.

“A handful of super-rich donors effectively bankroll the entire political system,” as Geoghegan puts it. That’s no way to run a democracy. We can and should do better.

Britain deserves a clean and fair political system where all of our votes count and all of our voices are heard. We can have trusted elections with adequate safeguards in place, that put the genuine public interest over the private interests of billionaires, corporations, and charlatans. That’s democracy – and it’s not unattainable.

All the best,

Matt

Matt Gallagher

Communications Officer

Open Britain
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