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Richard Brooks

@rbrooks45.bsky.social
839 followers 128 following 95 posts

Private Eye hack, author of Post Mortem (@privateeyenews.bsky.social), Bean Counters (Atlantic, 2018), The Great Tax Robbery (OneWorld, 2013). Co-founder @taxwatch.bsky.social.

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Reposted by Richard Brooks
Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 18h
Businessman in the Eye - new @privateeyenews.bsky.social profile of Jim Ratcliffe - the multibillion pound petrochemical empire built on natural assets and low interests rates, the ultra low tax rate engineered offshore and of course the epic whinging. Buy the mag for the details!
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 18h
Businessman in the Eye - new @privateeyenews.bsky.social profile of Jim Ratcliffe - the multibillion pound petrochemical empire built on natural assets and low interests rates, the ultra low tax rate engineered offshore and of course the epic whinging. Buy the mag for the details!
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Reposted by Richard Brooks
Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Man City in cheating shock The new Private Eye is out now.
A photo of the front cover of issue 1685 of Private Eye magazine with the caption "on shelves now." The cover is a “Football Special” and reads “MAN CITY IN CHEATING SHOCK”. It shows Andy Burnham on a football pitch, with the captions “They’ve brought in a new defender!” and “He’s playing at No. 10!” The bottom of the cover reads: “YES! IT’S THE BOOTY-FUL GAME!”
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
IT’S PRIVATE EYE WEEK! £2.99 in shops, £2 for subscribers, and only 20p for Emirati sponsors of Man City… Sheikh Mansour will cover the rest.
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Dan @mediadan.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
It is an absolute disgrace that Fujitsu to this day haven’t compensated Post Office victims and their families. The company is now trying to push AI “business decision making” software. Frightening. global.fujitsu/en-global/pr...
global.fujitsu
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The scandal that doesn’t go away. Another financial year will pass without Fujitsu putting its hand in its very deep pockets over the Post Office Horizon IT scandal. Full story in @privateeyenews.bsky.social - issue on sale for one more day.
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Jeanie Finlay @jeaniefinlay.com · 02/10/2026
Tuesday, screening of ALL RIVERS SPILL THEIR STORIES TO THE SEA AT Kiln cinema, London. Q&A with me & @rbrooks45.bsky.social from @privateeyenews.bsky.social. Richard has written extensively about the Teesside shenanigans for the last few years. 🎟️ www.glimmerama.com/allriversspill
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Thanks!
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Quick plug for my book Post Mortem based on latest 5 star reviews on a certain website - - “Really important book” - “An absorbing read” - “Arrived in immaculate condition” www.private-eye.co.uk/books/post-m...
private-eye.co.uk
Private Eye Books | Post Mortem
The first forensic account of how the Post Office, the British government and a global IT company ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people. Private Eye tells the story of the political, instit...
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Reposted by Richard Brooks
Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Chip-maker Nvidia’s founder and chief executive Jensen Huang responded to calls from Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman for a slowdown and other controlling steps by saying AI companies should “run as fast as you can”.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Billionaire Chris Rokos must be hoping he gets better advice on his offshore flit to Greece than he has on previous tax ruses.
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
As Labour promises fresh welfare clampdown, at the other end of the spectrum it’s already relaxing rules on fat cat boardroom pay. Full details in @privateeyenews.bsky.social In the Money…
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Rokos has been at loggerheads with HM Revenue & Customs. In the mid-2000s he’d invested in two film companies that government lawyers said were “finance schemes that were intended to generate losses in their first year of trading”.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Full story by ‘Gold Digger’ online and in the latest issue: www.private-eye.co.uk/in-the-back You can contact Gold Digger with financial stories at: golddigger@private-eye.co.uk
private-eye.co.uk
Private Eye | In the Money : Rokos & rolling in it
BILLIONAIRE Chris Rokos must be hoping he gets better advice on his offshore flit to Greece than he has on previous tax ruses.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Number crunching: AI safety From the new Private Eye, out now.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Nothing says “AI bubble” like the industry’s biggest player opposing the caution that others agree on in the interests of, er, human survival.
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Current @privateeyenews.bsky.social In the Money: how disqualification is no disqualification in UK’s wild west insolvency game; the bubbly signals on Nvidia’s balance sheet; how tier 1 investor visa system was scammed; and much more.. still on sale…
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
After horrific events in Teesside, mayor Ben Houchen blamed “drugs trade”. Yet he gave the security contract at Teesside freeport to a co whose “managing director” was still serving 11 year sentence for organised drugs crime - despite having been told this- see @privateeyenews.bsky.social for story
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
As PM-in-waiting in mid-July, Andy Burnham reportedly told Labour MPs Britain had become an “outsourced state with little accountability” and he wanted to see more “insourcing”.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🎧 New PAGE 94 Podcast OUT NOW This week: DELO OR NO DELO The team and Richard Brooks discuss Reform UK's new sugar-daddy, the likelihood of AI wiping out the world (just 10%) and the Men In Black coming to a port near you. Watch: youtu.be/GqNXMniIPMQ
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
As crypto moneybags Ben Delo promises further £35m for Reform, current @privateeyenews.bsky.social sets out his money laundering backstory. Buy the mag for full story.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Reform conference shock From the new Private Eye, in shops now.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
That Reform oyster bar sting in full The new Private Eye is out now.
A photo of the front cover of issue 1683 of Private Eye magazine with the caption “ON SHELVES NOW!” Heading reads “THAT REFORM OYSTER BAR STING IN FULL” and features an image of Nigel Farage eating an oyster, with speechbubbles reading: “How many would you like?”, “500,000 please!”, “Shellfish?”, “You bet I am!”, “It is not a good year for Nigel”, “Don’t swallow anything he says!”, “Watch out, he could be dodgy!” and “He’s too slimy for me!” The bottom caption reads “PUBLIC ‘NOT LISTENING’ TO FARAGE EXCUSES SHOCK!”
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Most recent @privateeyenews.bsky.social has a Teesside ‘regeneration’ summer special - featuring 8 figure accounting errors, unpaid debts, taxpayer bailouts and much more…
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
More than a decade after @privateeyenews.bsky.social exposed the extent of offshore-owned property, money laundering through shell companies and much else, a look in current issue at failed promises to deal with the problem and a chance for government to take on the offshore game…
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
In latest @privateeyenews.bsky.social, the Teesside shambles goes on: missed payments from businessmen who’ve cashed in on regeneration for £100ms of taxpayer’s money, undocumented loans, 8 figure errors in public body accounts. Available to read online - www.private-eye.co.uk/in-the-back
private-eye.co.uk
Private Eye | Teesside: Plot twisters
THERE are dysfunctional public bodies and then there’s Lord (Ben) Houchen’s Tees Valley (TVCA) Authority and its wholly owned South Tees Development Corporation (STDC).
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Brilliant piece on very important point - opacity of the court system. As George says, if we could have seen more about the Post Office convictions, could have hastened exposure of the miscarriage of justice. Only one example. Obvious case for reform.
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
In latest @privateeyenews.bsky.social, the Teesside shambles goes on: missed payments from businessmen who’ve cashed in on regeneration for £100ms of taxpayer’s money, undocumented loans, 8 figure errors in public body accounts. Available to read online - www.private-eye.co.uk/in-the-back
private-eye.co.uk
Private Eye | Teesside: Plot twisters
THERE are dysfunctional public bodies and then there’s Lord (Ben) Houchen’s Tees Valley (TVCA) Authority and its wholly owned South Tees Development Corporation (STDC).
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Pete Miles @petermiles.eurosky.social · 16/08/2026
Just fancy that... @privateeyenews.bsky.social
JUST FANCY THAT!

July 2026: Tees Valley mayor Lord (Ben)

Houchen responds to Andy Burnham's proposal to give tax revenues to regional mayors: "I'll create a new rebate scheme to put money back into people's pockets".

May 2026: Tees Valley businessmen Chris

Musgrave and Martin Corney agree deal in principle to sell land they buy from Houchen's mayoral authority's development corporation, at £1 per acre, to Al company Anthropic -putting more than £400m in their pockets.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
NON-EMERGENCY ALERT: IT’S PRIVATE EYE WEEK!
Bumper summer fun special edition of Private Eye out this week! 
56 pages of jokes and journalism, in shops and with subscribers from Wednesday.
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
It was and thanks for the very sharp review - and the appreciation of the power of the cartoon!
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
In The Journalist, magazine of @nujofficial.bsky.social, @markffisher.bsky.social reviews Post Mortem, “a compelling account of the Post Office Horizons IT scandal”, published by @privateeyenews.bsky.social. Page 16 for full review - www.nuj.org.uk/static/92dd8...
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The first forensic account of how the Post Office, the British government and a global IT company ruined the lives of thousands of innocent people. Post Mortem by Richard Brooks ➡️ www.private-eye.co.uk/books/post-m...
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Guardian story today about Palantir low corporation tax (its employees pay a lot) first reported by @privateeyenews.bsky.social In the Money in June - but as secondary to its low value U.K. presence and absence of U.K. directors, Mr Mosley not registered as one -
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Dan @mediadan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I really need to improve my social media search ability!! Richard Brooks’ investigative work is second-to-none and his efforts to lay out the background of the Post Office scandal deserve an enormous amount of credit.
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
If you’re in Dumfries & Galloway in September… kbtfringe.co.uk/event/events...
kbtfringe.co.uk
Post Mortem: The Truth behind the Post Office Scandal - KBT Fringe
Join investigative journalist Richard Brooks for an urgent exploration into the Post Office Horizon IT debacle’arguably the most profound miscarriage of justice in modern UK history. While politicians...
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Japan News, English language version of country's largest daily, reviews my book Post Mortem - "important read when looking at technology we rely on and the attitudes of govts and tech firms, including Fujitsu...". Let's hope the company's bosses read it. japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/culture/book...
japannews.yomiuri.co.jp
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
A cautionary devolution tale: hundreds of millions of pounds invested in Teesside but benefiting a couple of local businesssmen rather than the region, thanks to mayor Houchen. Full @privateeyenews.bsky.social report from last year online here: www.private-eye.co.uk/special-repo...
private-eye.co.uk
Special Report: Stripped Tees
IT WAS to be the UK’s largest regeneration scheme in decades, a model for regional devolution and the flagship post-Brexit freeport. But the redevelopment of the former steelworks on the south bank of...
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
A cautionary devolution tale: hundreds of millions of pounds invested in Teesside but benefiting a couple of local businesssmen rather than the region, thanks to mayor Houchen. Full @privateeyenews.bsky.social report from last year online here: www.private-eye.co.uk/special-repo...
private-eye.co.uk
Special Report: Stripped Tees
IT WAS to be the UK’s largest regeneration scheme in decades, a model for regional devolution and the flagship post-Brexit freeport. But the redevelopment of the former steelworks on the south bank of...
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
In latest @privateeyenews.bsky.social In the Money, Bank of England eases capital rules for banks at same time as its financial stability report warns of risky asset valuations and members of its financial policy committee worry about dangers of the move…
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Eye hack Richard Brooks tracked the companies and middlemen who cashed in on the crisis, and the government that let them get away with it. ➡️ Profits of Doom special report available to read for free: www.private-eye.co.uk/special-repo... 🧵2/2
private-eye.co.uk
Special Report: Profits Of Doom
As the greatest public health emergency for a century brought illness, bereavement and hardship to millions in the UK and presented taxpayers with a £75bn bill for extra health spending, a smaller ban...
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
The Eye exposed Covid profiteering back in 2021, long before this week’s inquiry findings that nearly £10bn of PPE was written off as wasted, and that a “VIP lane” fast-tracked the politically connected. 🧵1/2
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
It's Private Eye day 🎉 To mark the appointment of yet another Prime Minister we have a brand new issue for you... on shelves now! Or subscribe at www.subsonline.co.uk Either way make sure you get your copy!
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
As the evidence of their nefarious use mounts, the government tries turning the UK into a stablecoin playground. More in latest @privateeyenews.bsky.social
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
How @privateeyenews.bsky.social exposed Covid waste and profiteering back in 2021. Profits of Doom special report available to read here- www.private-eye.co.uk/special-repo...
private-eye.co.uk
Special Report: Profits Of Doom
As the greatest public health emergency for a century brought illness, bereavement and hardship to millions in the UK and presented taxpayers with a £75bn bill for extra health spending, a smaller ban...
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
For all its professed commitment to “sovereign” tech capability, the UK government is remarkably ready to waive the rules to accommodate US data company Palantir. 🧵1/4
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Meet and Discreet: how Ministry of Defence waived the rules with un-minuted meeting between defence secretary and Palantir’s bosses Karp and Mosley, a week before signing ‘strategic partnership’. In latest @privateeyenews.bsky.social, chance to read online here - www.private-eye.co.uk/hp-sauce
private-eye.co.uk
Private Eye | Palantir : Meet and discreet
FOR all its professed commitment to “sovereign” tech capability, the UK government is remarkably ready to waive the rules to accommodate US data company Palantir.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Farage feels the heat The new Private Eye is out now.
A photo of the front cover of issue 1679 of Private Eye magazine with the caption "on shelves now." The cover reads “FARAGE FEELS THE HEAT” with smiling sun emojis on either side of the headline. It features a photograph of Nigel Farage standing in front of colourful beach huts, wearing sunglasses, giving a thumbs-up and holding an ice cream. Speech bubbles read: “Where’s your lolly, Nigel?”, “He’s going into meltdown” and “It’s not a scoop – it’s flake news!”
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Reminder of @privateeyenews.bsky.social review of George Cottrell’s How to Launder Money book from four months ago…
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Richard Brooks @rbrooks45.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
In @privateeyenews.bsky.social In the Money looks at the SpaceX float and deciphers the management speak to understand the very British efforts in the scale-up space. Chance to read online… www.private-eye.co.uk/columnists
private-eye.co.uk
Private Eye | In the Money : Economies of scale-up
The success of the record-breaking SpaceX flotation, with the share price shooting up like Elon Musk’s right arm at a Donald Trump rally, was no great surprise. It also gives a pointer to the way the ...
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