"but successive governments led by Boris Johnson and others have insisted that the UK's electoral system can withstand its influence. That argument was recently blown apart by the conviction of former Reform politician Nathan Gill, jailed for 10 years for accepting bribes to advance Russian arguments. And now Steve Reed, the cabinet minister responsible for elections, has admitted there are worries that the UK's firewall against foreign interference may not be strong enough as he ordered an independent review."
"There has been a sense of denial about the risk of political funds from unclear sources known as dark money among the two main parties, fuelled partly by self-interest as fundraising chiefs are reluctant to curb future sources of revenue. But there appears to be a dawning realisation now for Labour that the issue is urgent, with Nigel Farage's party openly seeking money from offshore sources such as Monaco-based donors, welcoming cryptocurrency donations and welcoming cryptocurrency donations."
Russia has attempted to meddle with western democracy for years. Successive UK governments insisted the electoral system could withstand foreign influence, but a bribery conviction of a former Reform politician undermined that claim. Steve Reed, the cabinet minister responsible for elections, ordered an independent review and acknowledged worries about the strength of the firewall against foreign interference. There has been denial about risks from unclear political funds known as dark money, partly driven by fundraising self-interest. Concerns include donations to unincorporated associations, corporate donations without clear financing checks, and crowdsourced contributions split into many smaller sums.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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