"The UK and US have sunk to new lows in a global index of corruption, amid a worrying trend of democratic institutions being eroded by political donations, cash for access and state targeting of campaigners and journalists. Experts and businesspeople rated 182 countries based on their perception of corruption levels in the public sector to compile a league table that was bookended by Denmark at the top with the lowest levels of corruption and South Sudan at the bottom."
"It said record spending on election campaigning had supercharged a reliance on wealthy backers, with the Conservatives accepting 15m from a single donor in less than 12 months. This is understood to be a reference to contributions from the businessman Frank Hester, which prompted calls for the Tories to give the money back after the Guardian revealed that the party's largest donor had made racist and sexist remarks."
Experts and businesspeople rated 182 countries based on perceived public-sector corruption, with Denmark ranked lowest and South Sudan highest. Overall global corruption perceptions deteriorated: 31 countries improved while 50 declined. Established democracies showed backsliding, with events during Donald Trump's presidency and revelations in the Epstein files cited as potential drivers. Britain fell from seventh in 2015 to 20th in 2025, scoring 70 of 100, down from 71. Rising election spending increased reliance on wealthy backers; Conservatives accepted £15m from a single donor linked to racist and sexist remarks, while reports cited Elon Musk's interest in donating to Reform UK and privileged access for Labour's largest donor.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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