Skip to main content
Gifts from The Morning Star
When are foreign interventions in British politics welcome?
Legal loopholes allow foreign companies and individuals to splash cash in support of political parties in what is a mockery of national sovereignty
PEAS IN A POD: (Left to right) Anthony Pratt, Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Donald Trump visit the Pratt Industries plant in Wapakoneta, Ohio last September [Shealah Craighead/Creative Commons]

THERE was another example  of “foreign interference” in the 2019 election.

No, not from the Russians this time. From the Australians.

During  elections political parties have to give weekly notices of their big donors, which are published by the Electoral Commission — it’s a “transparency” measure, so we can see who is trying to pay the parties for all their election advertising, Facebook posts and rallies. Which big money men — it is usually men — are opening their wallets to buy a slice of the election.

Balzac once said: ‘Behind every great fortune lies a great crime,’ and when it comes to the Pratt fortune that does feel like the case

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Google
Features / 3 October 2025
3 October 2025

The new angle from private firms shmoozing their way into public contracts was the much-trumpeted arrival of ‘artificial intelligence’ — and no-one seemed to have heard the numerous criticisms of this unproven miracle cure, reports SOLOMON HUGHES

TORY HIGH SOCIETY:  Sir John Ritblat
Features / 19 September 2025
19 September 2025

It is rather strange that Labour continues to give prestigious roles to inappropriate, controversy-mired businessmen who are also major Tory donors. What could Labour possibly be hoping to get out of it, asks SOLOMON HUGHES

Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he hosts a VJ Day commemorative reception in the garden of 10 Downing Street, London, August 14, 2025
Features / 5 September 2025
5 September 2025

Keir Starmer’s hiring Tim Allan from Tory-led Strand Partners is another illustration of  Labour’s corporate-influence world where party differences matter less than business connections, writes SOLOMON HUGHES

Defence Secretary John Healey (third left) and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu (second left) view a long-range air-launched Storm Shadow cruise missile, during a visit to MDBA in Hertfordshire, July 9, 2025
Features / 22 August 2025
22 August 2025

MBDA’s Alabama factory makes components for Boeing’s GBU-39 bombs used to kill civilians in Gaza. Its profits flow through Stevenage to Paris — and it is one of the British government’s favourite firms, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES

Similar stories
TORY HIGH SOCIETY:  Sir John Ritblat
Features / 19 September 2025
19 September 2025

It is rather strange that Labour continues to give prestigious roles to inappropriate, controversy-mired businessmen who are also major Tory donors. What could Labour possibly be hoping to get out of it, asks SOLOMON HUGHES

DON’T BLAME CLAIMANTS: People take part in a protest outsi
Features / 28 March 2025
28 March 2025
Health Secretary Wes Streeting taking £53k from Tory-linked recruiter and outsourcer Peter Hearn’s OPD Group is a great example of how Labour’s rich donors shape policies targeting the poor – not their wealth, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
A general view of a central heating thermostat
Editorial: / 20 February 2025
20 February 2025
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves makes her keynote
Features / 22 October 2024
22 October 2024
Raising capital gains tax to match income tax is not only economically sound but morally just, potentially raising billions for public services — it’s an absolute no-brainer for any Labour government, argues BERNIE EVANS