Alex Beatty
@alexbeatty.bsky.social
Communications Advisor at Spotlight on Corruption: @spotlightcorruption.org
Other interests: #History #Communications #Speechwriting #Strategy. Views own. Likes are sometimes bookmarks, sometimes not.
Other interests: #History #Communications #Speechwriting #Strategy. Views own. Likes are sometimes bookmarks, sometimes not.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
💥 Spotlight's Helen Taylor is quoted in this jaw-dropping expose by @theferret.scot's @jamiermann.bsky.social. She says: “The fact that a Kremlin-decorated oligarch stills holds significant property interests in the UK is a shocking indictment of the many gaps in our defences against dirty money”.
From Moscow to Paisley: How a blacklisted Russian oligarch secretly invested in Scottish car parks
A Russian oligarch praised by Vladimir Putin has amassed a UK property portfolio under the veil of secretive offshore trusts, The Ferret can reveal. Anti-corruption campaigners say our investigation i...
www.theferret.scot
November 17, 2025 at 2:32 PM
💥 Spotlight's Helen Taylor is quoted in this jaw-dropping expose by @theferret.scot's @jamiermann.bsky.social. She says: “The fact that a Kremlin-decorated oligarch stills holds significant property interests in the UK is a shocking indictment of the many gaps in our defences against dirty money”.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
🗞️ Our executive director @suehawley.bsky.social calls for serious consideration of a ban on ex-MPs holding Parliamentary passes, as revealed in this story in @thetimes.com by @georgegreenwood.bsky.social. Sue says: “Ultimately, the risks of abuse are always going to be high and difficult to police.”
Ex-MPs working for lobbyists use privileged access to parliament
A number of former politicians who are now paid to help influence policymakers have visited the parliamentary estate, but deny doing so for lobbying
www.thetimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:02 PM
🗞️ Our executive director @suehawley.bsky.social calls for serious consideration of a ban on ex-MPs holding Parliamentary passes, as revealed in this story in @thetimes.com by @georgegreenwood.bsky.social. Sue says: “Ultimately, the risks of abuse are always going to be high and difficult to police.”
Reposted by Alex Beatty
Former MPs who then go on to work for lobbying firms should be banned from holding a parliamentary pass.
I don't care whether they want a haircut or a "cuppa with old colleagues."
It's not as if I have a pass from any of my old workplaces still.
@spotlightcorruption.org right to call this out.
I don't care whether they want a haircut or a "cuppa with old colleagues."
It's not as if I have a pass from any of my old workplaces still.
@spotlightcorruption.org right to call this out.
Ex-MPs working for lobbyists use privileged access to parliament
A number of former politicians who are now paid to help influence policymakers have visited the parliamentary estate, but deny doing so for lobbying
www.thetimes.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Former MPs who then go on to work for lobbying firms should be banned from holding a parliamentary pass.
I don't care whether they want a haircut or a "cuppa with old colleagues."
It's not as if I have a pass from any of my old workplaces still.
@spotlightcorruption.org right to call this out.
I don't care whether they want a haircut or a "cuppa with old colleagues."
It's not as if I have a pass from any of my old workplaces still.
@spotlightcorruption.org right to call this out.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
Great that personal bribery has become the default way to get deals with the world's richest and most powerful country. Really positive development.
“Apple set the tone” when Tim Cook gave Trump an engraved, glass disc. This week, the Swiss delegation gave him a “special Rolex desktop clock” and a $130,000 gold bar.
“.. It was tough to beat Apple, but the Swiss did it," an administration official told @axios.com
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
“.. It was tough to beat Apple, but the Swiss did it," an administration official told @axios.com
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
November 15, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Great that personal bribery has become the default way to get deals with the world's richest and most powerful country. Really positive development.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
The only way to raise serious revenue is to raise a tax which everybody pays. Raising a tax which someone else pays rarely raises the revenue needed and creates endless pressure from special interest groups. Compare and contrast Mr Osborne's 2 1/2% VAT increase with his pasty tax. #omnishambles
November 14, 2025 at 3:32 PM
The only way to raise serious revenue is to raise a tax which everybody pays. Raising a tax which someone else pays rarely raises the revenue needed and creates endless pressure from special interest groups. Compare and contrast Mr Osborne's 2 1/2% VAT increase with his pasty tax. #omnishambles
Reposted by Alex Beatty
Replies to this are a good case for why the lobby system absolutely doesn’t work in the 21st century.
It is the standard practice of government to brief stories from unnamed sources. *Official briefings* come from unnamed sources. But a sizeable subset of the public thinks unnamed means made up.
It is the standard practice of government to brief stories from unnamed sources. *Official briefings* come from unnamed sources. But a sizeable subset of the public thinks unnamed means made up.
There is a small subset of pro-Starmer ultras on here who either genuinely don’t understand that budget stories *are directly briefed out by the Treasury, with permission* or pretend not to know that. And so they claim the plans never existed, haven’t changed, etc. It is maddening, and dumb as fuck.
November 14, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Replies to this are a good case for why the lobby system absolutely doesn’t work in the 21st century.
It is the standard practice of government to brief stories from unnamed sources. *Official briefings* come from unnamed sources. But a sizeable subset of the public thinks unnamed means made up.
It is the standard practice of government to brief stories from unnamed sources. *Official briefings* come from unnamed sources. But a sizeable subset of the public thinks unnamed means made up.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
Reporting on economic crime is, on paper, protected against #SLAPPs. But do the protections work? Dan Neidle is looking to find out. Read more from the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition here: antislapp.uk/2025/11/12/d... @danneidle.bsky.social
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition stands in solidarity with Dan Neidle as he uses the UK’s only anti-SLAPP protections to challenge a legal action brought against him. - UK Anti-Slapp Coalition
The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition stands in solidarity with Dan Neidle as he applies to test England and Wales' only anti-SLAPP protections following a legal action brought against him.
antislapp.uk
November 12, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Reporting on economic crime is, on paper, protected against #SLAPPs. But do the protections work? Dan Neidle is looking to find out. Read more from the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition here: antislapp.uk/2025/11/12/d... @danneidle.bsky.social
Reposted by Alex Beatty
Roll up! Excited to be hosting a new kleptoscope at London's Frontline Club, with Sue Hawley, of @spotlightcorruption.org, Jess Garland of @electoralreform.bsky.social and @liambyrnemp.bsky.social. We'll be talking about how to save democracy from big money.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kleptoscop...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kleptoscop...
Kleptoscope: Big Money in Little Britain
How to protect our democracy?
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Roll up! Excited to be hosting a new kleptoscope at London's Frontline Club, with Sue Hawley, of @spotlightcorruption.org, Jess Garland of @electoralreform.bsky.social and @liambyrnemp.bsky.social. We'll be talking about how to save democracy from big money.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kleptoscop...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kleptoscop...
Reposted by Alex Beatty
🚨 A significant milestone in the Serious Fraud Office’s prosecution of former Glencore employees today as four individuals pleaded not guilty to #corruption charges relating to the UK mining giant’s operations in Africa. 🌍
November 10, 2025 at 1:11 PM
🚨 A significant milestone in the Serious Fraud Office’s prosecution of former Glencore employees today as four individuals pleaded not guilty to #corruption charges relating to the UK mining giant’s operations in Africa. 🌍
Reposted by Alex Beatty
My condiments to the jury. It mustard been a tough session. Very easy to find yourself in a pickle but some people would relish the chance to get their teeth into a meaty case like this.
🚨🚨🚨 The jury has reached a verdict. Sean Dunn, aka the DC Sandwich Guy, has been found NOT GUILTY of assault.
November 6, 2025 at 7:37 PM
My condiments to the jury. It mustard been a tough session. Very easy to find yourself in a pickle but some people would relish the chance to get their teeth into a meaty case like this.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
🚨 NEW: We wrote to the Chancellor, urging her not to leave billions lost to illicit finance and tax-related crimes on the table ahead of the upcoming budget.
www.ukanticorruptioncoalition.org/work/our-let...
www.ukanticorruptioncoalition.org/work/our-let...
Our letter to the Chancellor: Don’t leave billions lost to illicit finance and tax-related crimes on the table — UK Anti-Corruption Coalition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday 6 November 2025 – Following her speech on Tuesday, and ahead of the November 26 budget, members of the Illicit Finance Working Group have written to Chancellor Rache...
www.ukanticorruptioncoalition.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:03 PM
🚨 NEW: We wrote to the Chancellor, urging her not to leave billions lost to illicit finance and tax-related crimes on the table ahead of the upcoming budget.
www.ukanticorruptioncoalition.org/work/our-let...
www.ukanticorruptioncoalition.org/work/our-let...
Reposted by Alex Beatty
Inexplicable why the UK govt and associated accounts are still Twittering. On our podcast I mentioned Musk as a wannabe enemy of the state here
bsky.app/profile/inst...
bsky.app/profile/inst...
I've written a couple of things over the last days about how the government and much of Westminster remaining on X as the platform becomes increasingly toxic is having consequences for our politics...
Our politics is increasingly normalised to racism – because politicians are addicted to X
The platform has quietly dragged British politics into a dark place
inews.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Inexplicable why the UK govt and associated accounts are still Twittering. On our podcast I mentioned Musk as a wannabe enemy of the state here
bsky.app/profile/inst...
bsky.app/profile/inst...
Reposted by Alex Beatty
We need to do ultra-masculine fascism, like in J.R.R Tolkien's famous book, "Lord of the here's why Ultra-Masculine Fascism is evil, stupid and self defeating. Under no circumstances do it you fucking clowns."
October 29, 2025 at 10:37 AM
We need to do ultra-masculine fascism, like in J.R.R Tolkien's famous book, "Lord of the here's why Ultra-Masculine Fascism is evil, stupid and self defeating. Under no circumstances do it you fucking clowns."
Reposted by Alex Beatty
Elon Musk is once again inciting violence on British streets because the government has taught him there are literally no consequences for doing so.
They even carry on using his far-right social network to promote government policy as he does it. The absence of backbone is *astounding*.
They even carry on using his far-right social network to promote government policy as he does it. The absence of backbone is *astounding*.
October 29, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Elon Musk is once again inciting violence on British streets because the government has taught him there are literally no consequences for doing so.
They even carry on using his far-right social network to promote government policy as he does it. The absence of backbone is *astounding*.
They even carry on using his far-right social network to promote government policy as he does it. The absence of backbone is *astounding*.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
It’s impossible to avoid the conclusion that large parts of Westminster remaining on X - a platform that tolerates and amplifies extremism and racism - has led a great many people to normalise what previously was unacceptable.
October 28, 2025 at 7:50 AM
It’s impossible to avoid the conclusion that large parts of Westminster remaining on X - a platform that tolerates and amplifies extremism and racism - has led a great many people to normalise what previously was unacceptable.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
I'll also be frank: whether he is a "friend of the working class" is goddamn irrelevant. He is the democratically elected constitutional guarantor of the Ukrainian People, who serves at their wish and their mandate. It is not for Sultana to discuss who she, Not a Ukrainian, would prefer as president
October 27, 2025 at 4:45 PM
I'll also be frank: whether he is a "friend of the working class" is goddamn irrelevant. He is the democratically elected constitutional guarantor of the Ukrainian People, who serves at their wish and their mandate. It is not for Sultana to discuss who she, Not a Ukrainian, would prefer as president
Reposted by Alex Beatty
👇 Crypto donations are back in the news. For a quick summary of why they could be problematic and what could be done about them, check out this article from last week by @timpicton.bsky.social.
October 24, 2025 at 12:03 PM
👇 Crypto donations are back in the news. For a quick summary of why they could be problematic and what could be done about them, check out this article from last week by @timpicton.bsky.social.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
👇 Great reporting from @catneilan.bsky.social and @theobserveruk.bsky.social. We'll be covering the sentencing of Nathan Gill next month after he pleaded guilty to 8️⃣ Russia-linked #bribery charges in a case that has huge implications for addressing #foreigninterference in UK politics.
Exclusive: Two of Nathan Gill's fellow Ukip/Brexit Party MEPs used the same pro-Russia talking points in European Parliament, after joining him on a paid-for trip to Kyiv
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
‘Jail is inevitable’ for former Reform politician awaitin...
Two other MEPs joined Nathan Gill on a trip paid for by pro-Russian interests – and 6 weeks later repeated his talking points in Parliament
observer.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 4:59 PM
👇 Great reporting from @catneilan.bsky.social and @theobserveruk.bsky.social. We'll be covering the sentencing of Nathan Gill next month after he pleaded guilty to 8️⃣ Russia-linked #bribery charges in a case that has huge implications for addressing #foreigninterference in UK politics.
Reposted by Alex Beatty
⚖️ Last week saw a dramatic twist in the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s #SLAPPs case against Hamlins solicitor Christopher Hutchings for allegedly making an improper legal threat against a journalist who wrote about a high-profile corruption scandal involving the theft of billions of dollars. 1/5
October 20, 2025 at 1:01 PM
⚖️ Last week saw a dramatic twist in the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s #SLAPPs case against Hamlins solicitor Christopher Hutchings for allegedly making an improper legal threat against a journalist who wrote about a high-profile corruption scandal involving the theft of billions of dollars. 1/5
Reposted by Alex Beatty
So, another week when we'll continue to ignore the increasingly obvious issue of political radicalisation via social media? And indeed the tied issue of the large tech companies who promote this, and the tech bros who see this as some sort of move to a utopian paradise governed by them?
October 20, 2025 at 6:32 AM
So, another week when we'll continue to ignore the increasingly obvious issue of political radicalisation via social media? And indeed the tied issue of the large tech companies who promote this, and the tech bros who see this as some sort of move to a utopian paradise governed by them?
Reposted by Alex Beatty
![1
Nurse:
It’s become a real problem in this area
2
Nurse:
We’ve seen the whole community lost to addiction
3
Show a building sign posted:
Westminster ‘X’ Addiction Clinic
With various Westminster people or looking at their phones outside it
Nurse:
Ministers, Spads, Researchers…
4
Nurse:
Most mornings we’ll get a call about someone acting strangely
[Nurse on phone taking a call]
Ok - we’ll be right over
5
Nurse:
We just have a gentle chat
[Nurses approach a minister –Robert Jenrick? - standing in the Palace of Westminster
Minister:
I understand your concerns…
6
Nurse:
Are you OK love?
Minister:
Yes I’m just hearing legitimate concerns from real voters
7
Nurse:
That’s a robot, a Nazi and a poorly-disguised Russian
[Show that the people he is talking to are precisely these characters]
Nurse 2:
Give us your phone, love
8
Nurse:
At the clinic we put them in a Grass-Touching Pod, with a real voter to talk to
[We see them back at the clinic, holding the minister's head and pushing him into a glass isolation booth with a grass floor. And it is a baffled looking woman, on a chair, ready to talk to him.]
9
Minister:
YOU MUST BE WORRIED ABOUT THE COMING CIVIL WAR
[woman looks baffled]
10
woman:
I just want a bus service
Minister:
LOOK AT MY FLAG
[produces a St George's flag]
[ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreicahofq6s4xow7vowj7dx6odw6ejdwr4kwcmzta7qwi4hg2nvywji@jpeg)
👇 This is a tremendous bit of work by my @spotlightcorruption.org colleagues @megandavis-lawthor.bsky.social and Helen Taylor
🔥Hot off the press! @spotlightcorruption.org’s Court Monitoring team brings you the latest from the #secretSLAPP case heard behind closed doors this week, as an ironic twist threatens to undermine public confidence that lawyers will be held to account for abusive legal tactics like #SLAPPs.
Secret SLAPP case damages public confidence in disciplinary action against lawyers - Spotlight on Corruption
There were unprecedented scenes this week at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal as the high-profile prosecution of lawyer Christopher Hutchings by the
www.spotlightcorruption.org
October 17, 2025 at 4:37 PM
👇 This is a tremendous bit of work by my @spotlightcorruption.org colleagues @megandavis-lawthor.bsky.social and Helen Taylor
Reposted by Alex Beatty
📨 Our newsletter went out to subscribers yesterday. It features stories on crypto donations to political parties, the launch of @ethicsandintegrity.bsky.social and news of some great public events coming up!
✍️ Sign up at our website to receive future issues: www.spotlightcorruption.org/newsletter/
✍️ Sign up at our website to receive future issues: www.spotlightcorruption.org/newsletter/
Spotlight on Corruption's latest newsletter is out!
This edition covers crypto donations to political parties, the launch of the new Ethics and Integrity Commission and some exciting public events coming up in the next few weeks.
mailchi.mp
October 17, 2025 at 12:01 PM
📨 Our newsletter went out to subscribers yesterday. It features stories on crypto donations to political parties, the launch of @ethicsandintegrity.bsky.social and news of some great public events coming up!
✍️ Sign up at our website to receive future issues: www.spotlightcorruption.org/newsletter/
✍️ Sign up at our website to receive future issues: www.spotlightcorruption.org/newsletter/
Reposted by Alex Beatty
👏 Brilliant to see Crossbench Peer Lord Cromwell set out the case in today's debate on the Crime and Policing Bill for securing desperately needed funding for the fight against #EconomicCrime by reinvesting seized assets and fines back into enforcement agencies.
October 16, 2025 at 4:03 PM
👏 Brilliant to see Crossbench Peer Lord Cromwell set out the case in today's debate on the Crime and Policing Bill for securing desperately needed funding for the fight against #EconomicCrime by reinvesting seized assets and fines back into enforcement agencies.