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James Bolton-Jones

@jamesbj.bsky.social
522 followers 332 following 23 posts

Advocacy & Policy at Spotlight on Corruption, a UK based charity shining a light on the UK’s role in corruption at home and abroad. Views own.

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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
⏰Last chance to apply for this role which closes at midnight on this coming Saturday (14 Feb)!
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 12/02/2026
⌛ Just a couple of days left to apply for this tremendous comms role! 🕚 The deadline is 23:30 on Saturday night.
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UK Anti-Corruption Coalition @ukanticorruptioncoalition.org · 08/12/2025
🤔 Corruption may seem far away from our normal lives. But it’s actually in our communities, our economy, and our politics too. 🌍 It’s a whole-of-society problem that needs a whole-of-society solution. 🗣️That’s what we’re calling for here at UKACC — and we want you to join us 🫵
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Margot Mollat @margotmollat.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
Nearly every trail of dirty money leads to a shell company in the British Virgin Islands or another UK-linked financial centre. It’s time for the UK to end the corporate secrecy in its Overseas Territories that enables global financial crime.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 01/07/2025
👇 Really important story from @byrobdavies.bsky.social on the ongoing failure of British overseas territories to honour their pledges to introduce accessible registers of company ownership – a key tool in the fight against dirty money.
theguardian.com
British overseas territories miss final deadline to crack down on ‘dirty money’
Island havens accused of ‘defying the will of parliament’ after failing to initiate corporate transparency measures
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 26/06/2025
👇 Great report from our friends at @influencemap.bsky.social on how the UK’s feeble efforts on lobbying transparency have undermined the policy response to one of the world’s most pressing challenges: climate change.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 22/05/2025
👀 The Treasury recently published the first report on the Economic Crime Levy (ECL). In our new blog we argue that this new funding mechanism for tackling economic crime has notable strengths but also real limitations.
spotlightcorruption.org
The first Economic Crime Levy report: our analysis - Spotlight on Corruption
The first report on the Economic Crime Levy (ECL) published by the Treasury demonstrates both the strengths and limitations of this new funding mechanism.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 08/04/2025
👇 Great spot by @owenboswarva.bsky.social. We thought this was likely the case but it is nevertheless disappointing to see it confirmed by Cabinet Office Minister @georgiagould.bsky.social yesterday:
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 05/03/2025
🤔 Not a fan of corruption? ❗Interested in ways to improve trust in politics? 😃 Keen to work alongside our small friendly team? 🫵 You might be the person we're looking for! @spotlightcorruption.org is recruiting a new lead for our work on #DefendingDemocracy Deadline: 16/3/25 More details below 👇
spotlightcorruption.org
Spotlight is recruiting! We are looking for a new lead for our Defending Democracy work - Spotlight on Corruption
Spotlight on Corruption has an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated individual to lead our work on defending UK democracy, by pushing for reforms that
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 27/02/2025
✌️ Victory! @spotlightcorruption.org is delighted to see our campaign to give law enforcement agencies greater protection from legal costs when pursuing the assets of deep-pocketed crooks has been successful. The measure has been included in the new Crime Bill announced in Parliament this week 👇.
gov.uk
Crime and Policing Bill: Proceeds of crime factsheet
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Transparency International UK @transparencyuk.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
🆕 BLOG 🆕 Keir Starmer's ministerial code promised a new register of ministerial gifts and hospitality. Now, as the first set of transparency records under these new rules are published, Rose Whiffen looks at what has actually been delivered. www.transparency.org.uk/news/promise...
transparency.org.uk
Promise vs practice: Why Britain's new ministerial gift register misses the mark
Government's attempt to enhance transparency through a new register system leaves much to be desired in both form and function.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 20/02/2025
👓 WHAT WE'RE READING – 5 stories from the anti-corruption world 😓 It's been a terrible few weeks but it has produced some brilliant and important writing. 1️⃣ @thetimes.com: A fired-up @edwardlucas.bsky.social calls on the UK to up its anti-corruption game in response to developments in the US.
thetimes.com
Trump has given kleptocrats the green light
With the US abandoning the fight against corruption Britain must improve its lacklustre record
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Transparency International UK @transparencyuk.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
✨🔍 NEW 🔍✨ We’ve just added 6000+ new meetings to our Open Access database of Westminster and (now) Holyrood meetings with external organisations. Check out the new data here ⤵️ openaccess.transparency.org.uk
openaccess.transparency.org.uk
Open Access UK: monitor lobbying meetings with in the UK
Who’s #lobbying the UK? Check Open Access UK
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 20/02/2025
📨 We'll shortly be sending out our latest newsletter, with commentary from @suehawley.bsky.social, our submissions to the spending review and the @legalservicesboard.bsky.social, and a job advert 🫵. ✍️ Sign up at our website if you would like to receive it: www.spotlightcorruption.org/newsletter/
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
📢 Awesome opportunity to join the team at Spotlight on Corruption and work on an incredibly important and interesting topic. Apply via the link below and please share with anyone you think would be a good fit for the role👇
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 12/02/2025
👏Great to see @mp4stratford.bsky.social sky.social highlighting the urgent need for political finance reforms to protect our democracy from undue influence. We look forward to seeing the details of the Political Donations Bill when it returns to @houseofcommons.parliament.uk
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 05/02/2025
📨 Our latest newsletter is winging its way to our subscribers' inboxes right now! 👇 If you are not already a subscriber, click below to see what's on offer. ✍️ And sign up at our website if you would like to receive future editions: www.spotlightcorruption.org/newsletter/
mailchi.mp
Spotlight on Corruption's latest newsletter is out!
Highlights of this month's newsletter include details of our work on political finance and standards in public life; a missed opportunity to improve anti-money laundering regulation of the legal profe...
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 05/02/2025
📨 We'll shortly be sending out our latest newsletter, packed with great stories about all the work we did in January. ✍️ Sign up at our website if you would like to receive it: www.spotlightcorruption.org/newsletter/
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Phil Brickell MP @philbrickellmp.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
Proper investigation of Abramovich’s tax affairs is essential, particularly in light of concerns that HMRC is failing to use all the tools available to pursue wealthy individuals and companies. It doesn't matter how rich you are - everyone should have to pay their fair share.
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 30/01/2025
📢 The latest publication of departmental transparency releases is out today. This will show who the new government has been meeting with in its first months in power… www.gov.uk/search/trans...
gov.uk
Transparency and freedom of information releases
Find transparency and freedom of information releases from government
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 23/01/2025
👀 A recent flurry of parliamentary interventions is piling pressure on the UK Government to introduce major reforms to the UK’s political finance rules. While the Govt’s promise to introduce reforms is welcome, there is no time to lose.
spotlightcorruption.org
Foreign donors: Parliamentary pressure grows for ambitious reforms to the UK’s political finance regime - Spotlight on Corruption
Galvanised by the prospect of foreign donors – including a certain US-based tech billionaire – potentially contributing to UK political parties, over the last
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Alex Beatty @alexbeatty.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
👇 Really good piece from my colleague George on Lord Anderson's new ethics bill. "Steps to bolster the regulation of standards in public life are long overdue. Here is a ready-made Bill to do just that. The govt should ... throw their weight behind this well-considered ... piece of legislation."
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UK Anti-Corruption Coalition @ukanticorruptioncoalition.org · 14/01/2025
🚨 Statement 🚨 We have called for the City Minister Tulip Siddiq to relinquish the anti-corruption duties of her role. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... 1/8
bbc.co.uk
Tulip Siddiq urged to step back from anti-corruption duties
Siddiq, whose role includes tackling corruption in UK financial markets, has been named in an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh.
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
👀 A few things coming up in Parliament this and next week for anyone interested in what the Government should do to reform the UK's Swiss-🧀-style political finance laws.
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BBC Newsnight @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
"The UK is so vulnerable to being influenced by money coming in from people like Musk into our political system because we don't have any checks and balances." Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas discusses Musk and British politics. #Newsnight
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Amazing opportunity!
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 19/12/2024
👏 We’re delighted to see @electoralcommission.org.uk throw its weight behind our long-standing call for political parties to introduce ‘know your donor’ policies, in this great @theguardian.com interview by @pippacrerar.bsky.social.
theguardian.com
Starmer urged to change donation rules amid talk of Musk bankrolling Reform
Exclusive: Electoral Commission wants law changed amid concern over Elon Musk’s plan to donate to Reform UK
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
2026 seems too late to close the loopholes allowing foreign funding of UK political parties It's not like the warnings are new - this has been a longstanding call of almost every leading democracy/transparency group in the UK
Will this question be shoehorned in? Electoral Commission CEO Vijay Rangarajan has given an interview to the Guardian’s Pippa Crerar, where he calls for rules on foreign donations to be tightened urgently — including limiting them to money those companies actually made in the U.K. Cough, Elon Musk and Reform UK! This interview will be handy cover if ministers decide to change the law, and Crerar hears they are considering just that.

But but but … any changes wouldn’t be introduced before 2026, Crerar reports. No doubt there are worries about the optics of looking like Labour is going after Reform and Musk. But perhaps it’ll be too late.

Don’t ask, don’t get: Musk will “probably” give Reform “in the order of $20 million,” Tory-to-Reform defector Tim Montgomerie told Newsnight … bu
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 19/12/2024
Super comment piece in today’s @thetimes.com Law section by former Chief Crown Prosecutor Andrew Penhale on the impact that the crisis in the UK criminal justice system is having on economic crime cases.
thetimes.com
How to tackle economic crime? Here’s a Christmas wish list
Incentivising early guilty pleas and improving the use of technology would help ministers in their mission to fight corruption
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
🎯Brilliant to have someone with so much on the ground experience in Andrew Penhale (ex Chief Crown Prosecutor) give his expert take on how to tackle huge delays in economic crime and #corruption cases. Adopting his recommendations should also help ease pressure on the wider court system.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 18/12/2024
👍 Great to see the UK government highlight its plans to make further use of #anti-corruption sanctions and review #sanctions enforcement.
questions-statements.parliament.uk
Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 17/12/2024
🆕 In a major #openjustice victory, earlier today @spotlightcorruption.org won the right to publish the transcripts and Court documents from a major corruption trial that highlighted UK government complicity with a foreign bribery scheme.
spotlightcorruption.org
Open justice: Spotlight wins right to publish documents from major UK corruption trial - Spotlight on Corruption
Today, in an important ruling with wider implications for open justice, Spotlight on Corruption won the right to publish the transcripts and Court documents
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 16/12/2024
🆕 Last week’s announcement of anti-corruption #sanctions against key figures in a gold-smuggling ring targeting Southern Africa has been welcomed by our partners AfriCOG, @cifar.bsky.social, TI Zimbabwe & the International Lawyers Project. Here’s our joint statement on why these sanctions matter:
spotlightcorruption.org
Partners respond to UK’s latest anti-corruption sanctions designations - Spotlight on Corruption
On 9th December, the UK put three new individuals on the UK’s Anti-Corruption Sanctions list.
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
👀 it will be very interesting to see which cases this new unit investigates
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Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) @cipr.co.uk · 12/12/2024
We're pleased to support @spotlightcorruption.org's important work examining government progress on lobbying reform. Their findings show why action is needed to enhance transparency in lobbying and restore trust in our democratic institutions.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 10/12/2024
📹 Our Executive Director @suehawley.bsky.social welcomes the appointment of Baroness Hodge as the UK's new #Anti-CorruptionChampion. And she calls for 2️⃣ essential initiatives: 1️⃣ greater investment in our law enforcement agencies, and 2️⃣ a full suite of reforms to improve standards in public life.
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Elon Musk’s $100m threat to bankroll Nigel Farage exposes these gaping loopholes endangering UK democracy bylinetimes.com/2024/12/05/e...
bylinetimes.com
Elon Musk's $100m Threat to Bankroll Nigel Farage and Reform Exposes the Gaping Loopholes Endangering UK Democracy
Keir Starmer is being urged to act now to prevent foreign billionaires from exploiting these gaps in our electoral system
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
This is a corker of a thread about an incredibly important issue (if I don’t say so myself)👇
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 02/12/2024
We join our colleagues at @transparencyuk.bsky.social in calling for ambitious electoral finance reform. It must be an urgent priority for the government to bring forward a new Elections Bill that 👉 tackles the loopholes in election laws and 👉 bolsters UK defences against foreign influence (a 🧵)
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
Really important story 👇 www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Money trail: questions over deposed Bangladeshi elite’s £400m UK property empire
Associates of former Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina have spent millions buying up top-flight property assets in the UK
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 29/11/2024
🕟 Late yesterday afternoon the government slipped out the latest tranche of departmental #lobbying #transparency data. But even careful readers won't be much the wiser. 👇 Here's @spotlightcorruption.org's take on why the current system is not fit for purpose and what needs to happen to fix it.
spotlightcorruption.org
Clear as mud: The UK’s lobbying transparency deficit - Spotlight on Corruption
Last night the government’s latest departmental lobbying transparency data dropped – two months late. So late in fact that the content is primarily of
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
📢 Really pleased to see @philbrickellmp.bsky.social draw on research from @spotlightcorruption.org in his speech in Parliament yesterday.
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
👀
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James Bolton-Jones @jamesbj.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
👀 Great round up of top corruption-related stories on our radar from my fab colleague @alexbeatty.bsky.social
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David Anderson @bricksilk.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Are there constitutional principles (civil service, delegated legislation, watchdogs?) that could usefully be put into statute? Yesterday's discussion with Ministers Pat McFadden and Nick Thomas-Symonds is from 11:23:25 to 11:35:05 (no transcript yet): www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/....
parliamentlive.tv
Parliamentlive.tv
Constitution Committee
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 14/11/2024
Great to see @joepowell.bsky.social raise the importance of the Serious Fraud Office continuing to prioritise foreign #bribery cases – and even better to see Solicitor General Sarah Sackman confirming that the SFO is working “incredibly hard in this area”.
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 05/11/2024
🆕 After the Autumn budget offered small change for tackling economic crime, more resourcing for economic crime fighting agencies is urgently needed, says a new report from @spotlightcorruption.org.
spotlightcorruption.org
Spotlight calls for Economic Crime Fighting Fund, after budget small change - Spotlight on Corruption
The government should reinvest criminal assets and fines into an innovative new Economic Crime Fighting Fund to turbocharge enforcement after the Autumn
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 05/11/2024
The government should reinvest criminal assets and fines into an innovative new Economic Crime Fighting Fund to turbocharge enforcement, says @jamesbj.bsky.social.
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UK Anti-Corruption Coalition @ukanticorruptioncoalition.org · 03/10/2024
🚨📽️🗣️🔷 In our last party conference video of 2024, James Bolton Jones of @spotlightcorruption.org talks about his panel discussion with Dr Maria Nizzero of @rusi.bsky.social, the Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP and Sir David Davis MP. 💡 They had a great exchange about fixing the UK's dirty money problem...
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Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 12/11/2024
Today the wife of Russian oligarch German Khan is asking the Court of Appeal to overturn #sanctions against her in a key case that challenges the UK’s approach to targeting family members & associates with sanctions. 👇 Here’s our take on why this case matters:
spotlightcorruption.org
Anzhelika Khan: Wife of Russian oligarch fails to shake off sanctions - Spotlight on Corruption
Summary In early 2024, the Russian-born British citizen Anzhelika Khan took the government to court for targeting her with sanctions on the basis of her association with her husband, the...
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