Prominent examples you ask? Well, we only found out that Mandelson was being lobbied by Epstein over bankers' bonuses regulations from the Epstein files.

Why does this matter? Because the public must know how government decisions are made. When law and policy is made behind closed doors at the behest of powerful individuals or groups - this is state capture.

Backbench MPs and shadow ministers are not subject to lobbying disclosure.

Government department transparency releases only cover official meetings and phone calls with ministers and senior civil servants. Government business discussed in private meetings, over email and texts or with mid-level officials and advisers are not open to public scrutiny.

96% of lobbying activity is exempt from disclosure under the 2014 Lobbying Act. It only applies to lobbyists working for private consultancy firms. In-house lobbyists working for companies, think tanks, non-profits, and other groups and associations are exempt.

This creates a perception that UK law and policymaking may be captured by wealthy donors, powerful corporations or interest groups. The perception of state capture erodes public trust and social cohesion. State capture itself undermines economic growth, the rule of law and national security.

The UK has a major lobbying disclosure problem. Lobbying is used by groups and individuals to influence government policy and laws. When this happens behind a veil of secrecy, the public never finds out why certain decisions are made by their democratic representatives.

🧵

Captured! | SCAP | Substack Our coverage of stories relating to state capture from around the globe. Click to read "Captured!", by SCAP, a Substack publication. Launched 2 hours ago.

So please visit our substack, subscribe and share among your networks.

scapnd.substack.com

donald trump is wearing a suit and tie and making a sad face . ALT: donald trump is wearing a suit and tie and making a sad face .

Next week we will start a series on indicators of state capture by the Trump administration.

What is state capture Welcome to State Capture Accountability Project’s substack.

Our first piece is an introduction to state capture.

open.substack.com/pub/scapnd/p...

an elderly man says i love democracy ALT: an elderly man says i love democracy

We'll be posting regularly about instances of state capture around the world (as well as the occasional good news story about accountability).

Captured! | SCAP | Substack Our coverage of stories relating to state capture from around the globe. Click to read "Captured!", by SCAP, a Substack publication. Launched 2 hours ago.

SCAP has launched a new substack called "Captured!".

scapnd.substack.com

The full proposal — including recommended statutory language — is available from SCAP.

If you work on sanctions, anti-corruption, democracy or human rights policy, we'd welcome your engagement.

🔗 www.state-capture.org/s/SCAP_SC-Sa...

Why thematic, not country-specific?

• Faster to deploy
• Less diplomatically blunt
• Reflects the transnational nature of kleptocracy
• Signals UK commitment to democratic resilience globally

SCAP proposes a new thematic sanctions regime under existing UK law (SAMLA 2018) that would cover the full spectrum of conduct driving democratic backsliding and state capture.

With built-in safeguards: Parliamentary oversight and an independent advisory panel.

The UK's financial and professional services sector is a primary enabler of kleptocracy globally.

Over £100bn laundered through UK structures annually (NCA).

That's not just a problem — it's leverage. The UK can freeze assets and cut off the services kleptocrats depend on.

Not sanctionable under existing UK regimes:

• Dismantling civil society and free media
• Capturing state institutions for private gain
• Abuse of office and illicit enrichment
• Transnational repression
• Foreign election interference

These are the tools of modern authoritarianism.

The UK's two relevant sanctions regimes are too narrow:

— Human Rights Sanctions: only cover killing, torture, slavery
— Anti-Corruption Sanctions: only cover bribery and misappropriation

Electoral fraud? Media capture? Judicial manipulation? Out of scope.

71% of the world's population lives under autocracy or state capture.

The UK has the leverage to act — but its sanctions toolkit has critical gaps.

SCAP has published a proposal to fix this. A thread: 🧵

SCAP calls on the UK government to wider the definition of 'politically exposed persons' to reflect the myriad of family members used by kleptocrats to conceal their assets in the UK.

www.state-capture.org/s/Joffe_POCA...

The UK is currently reviewing its anti-money laundering and asset recovery strategy. SCAP recommends enabling UK authorities to recover UK-based property equivalent in value to profits made from unlawful conduct abroad.

www.state-capture.org/s/Joffe_POCA...

Also, check out @iphr.bsky.social's guide for victims of TNR in France: iphronline.org/wp-content/u...

Check out our new recommendations to French policymakers on how to address transnational repression in France (prepared jointly with @iphr.bsky.social)

www.state-capture.org/s/tnr-france...

Together with @iphr.bsky.social, we call on the EU to enact a new standalone thematic sanctions regime to tackle transnational repression.

www.state-capture.org/s/policy-bri...

#StateCapture #Corruption #Kyrgyzstan #EUForeignPolicy #RuleOfLaw #Sanctions #PressFreedom #Accountability

Without meaningful conditionality, EU policy risks legitimising and financing the very system it claims to oppose.

This raises urgent questions for the EU. Despite deepening political ties, trade preferences, and development assistance, EU engagement is now colliding with clear evidence of kleptocracy, repression, and Kyrgyzstan’s growing role in Russian sanctions evasion.

This system of corruption has evolved into full-scale state capture—hollowing out rule-of-law institutions, enriching a narrow circle of insiders, and dismantling independent media—while increasingly aligning Kyrgyzstan with authoritarian interests, including Russia.

New Report | State Capture in Kyrgyzstan and Why It Matters for EU Policy

Check out our new joint report with Kloop, a network centred around Kyrgyzstan's President and security chief systematically seizes high-value public and private assets.

www.state-capture.org/s/20261201Th...

Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of Ukrainians Killed and Injured by Russian Missiles Using U.S. Technology YouTube video by Watts Law Firm

Tune in now to the press conference presenting the lawsuits against US manufacturers that produce chips that end up in Russian weapons that kill civilians in Ukraine.

We are pleased that our work has helped build this lawsuit.

www.youtube.com/live/9cmRTkK...