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A detailed investigation into the murder of 1500 Alawites just over three months ago in Syria has concluded that the crimes were sanctioned by the country's new Islamist rulers, raising huge doubts about their declared commitment to a new democratic system and shattering any hope that they will be held accountable for their crimes.

The investigation by Reuters also raises awkward questions about the West's hurried decision to drop sanctions against Syria and to offer both trust and aid to those now accused of involvement in a heinous massacre.

To date, Syria's self-appointed interim president, Ahmed Al Sharaa, has managed to sidestep responsibility for his own past actions as a member of an Al Qaeda affiliate - but his ability to unite Syria's bewildering array of religious sects and cultural identities will have been seriously undermined by the latest revelations.

Western officials claim it is too late to withdraw support from Sharaa. As one European diplomat put it "there are no other candidates. We are stuck with Sharaa whether we like it or not".

"We need to engage gradually and with caution to help Syria move in the right direction. We cannot afford to see the process collapse."

For now, though, the process looks decidedly shaky.

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Mel Frykberg

Veteran Turkish ambassador Erdem Ozan, who left the foreign office at the end of 2024, says Al-Sharaa governs under a transitional declaration that grants broad executive authority but offers little in the way of checks and balances.

This, he explains, creates a hybrid regime based on more functional control than on legal authority

"Syria's path, " says Ozan, an expert on Syria, "indicates a mix of authoritarian control and selective pluralism. The ongoing selective violence and limited engagement with minority communities weaken his claims of national dialogue, alienating non-Sunni groups. Formal institutions like the transitional cabinet and justice committees are in place but public trust remains lacking."

"Sectarian violence, including over 1500 Alawite deaths, reveals an inability to restrain allied militias or deliver justice. His unilateral rise to the presidency and postponement of elections erode institutional trust. Failure to reconcile with Kurds, Druze and Alawites threatens national cohesion."

After 24 years of Bashar Assad's brutal regime, there were grand hopes for a period of truth and reconciliation.

But the report on the recent massacre highlights the fragility of the current situation.

Its conclusion that the killers' chain of command led to the capital Damascus could well re-ignite a whole raft of bitter, factional disputes in a country with a bewildering array of sects, religions and nationalities.

Minorities, which once allied with the Assad regime to survive, now fear persecution or exclusion in a country that may well be heading towards an authoritarian theocracy.

Many fear that Syria is on a knife edge, with few good outcomes in sight.

"They are not building a new country - a melting pot for all citizens regardless of their religious or ethnic identity," says Rayyan Maarouf, Chief Editor at Suwaida24.com, and member of the Druze community in southern Syria.

"They are pitting the Sunnis against the minorities who are turning against the new regime".

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Josiah Mortimer

Maarouf, who had to flee Syria to the West during the civil war says: "Regardless of the international support given to Sharaa by ...

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The lead-up to the vote on the Government's welfare cuts - particularly to the Personal Independent Payment (PIP) - was a hellish time for me and, most likely, for many disabled people.

Even with a climb-down in the face of a backbench revolt that saw concessions made, including the dubious announcement that only new PIP claimants will be affected, it all leaves me wondering where we are.

What remains in the bill is changes to Universal Credit (UC), which is means-tested and will affect claimants who are currently seen as unfit for work. What does this say about our society? What do they want us to do? Why do they continue to consider us separate? We are entirely 'othered'.

There is a burdensome irony in the failure of successive governments to invest in actions which could reduce barriers and provide disabled people with the support that would make work environments equal and equitable. No disabled person imposes their own barriers - we merely endure those placed on us by uninterested non-disabled politicians.

Now the Welfare Bill has been passed, it highlights how we are condemned. A problem for someone else to deal with. Tied up with strings of resolute refusal to grasp the reality of what disability is. Yet again.

Non-Disabled People's Delusions That Disability 'Is Nothing To Do With Them' Only Harm Disabled People

As Government cuts to disabled people's benefits lead to more dehumanising rhetoric, Penny Pepper reminds us that disability is an embedded reality of human experience as much as it always has been

Penny Pepper

It is 15 years since I was immersed in the fight to keep open the then Independent Living Fund, which allowed people like myself to live as independent members of the community; to be productive beyond mere pound signs; and which kept us hopeful that we had a role to play in society. It understood that it is helpful to see 'independence' in its broader context - not so much in the literal sense of doing everything in every aspect of your life at ground-level minutiae (which no one does anyway, when fully examined), but around the principles of rights to choice and control.

I was there with activist colleagues when the judges came in at the High Court during the legal challenge to the ILF's closure in 2014: there was a grim paradox to them having personal ushers pull out their chairs, ready for their august posteriors to sit upon - presumably an extension of more ceremonial pomposity as no judge disclosed disability on that day.

Disabled people were there, fighting for their right to freedoms at the most basic level: such as not sleeping in your own piss; and the right to decide when to get out of bed, supported by a personal assistant, which could ultimately enable you to work.

We lost and the ILF was closed in 2015. Local authorities were supposed to receive transitional payments to take us through to a new age of independent living. Countless numbers of disabled people were failed and any hard-won freedoms soon cut back.

So is it any wonder that disabled people are terrified about what is happening to PIP, now and for future generations? Here we are, reeling in disbelief as we unravel the true impact of these changes, as we attempt to find new strength for future battles as the bill moves on.

The confusion about what is being done to the disability components of UC remains raw and terrifying for younger disabled people. MPs across all parties have been culpable throughout the campaign, misunderstanding what each benefit means and what the rules are - crucially, that PIP is not means-tested, whereas UC is an income-based benefit.

I'm a complete veteran and I'm bewildered.

Almost two years ago, forced through the migration from Working Tax Credit (WTC) to Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity Universal Credit (LCWRA UC - ridiculous!), I'm...

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Keir Starmer's government could recoup billions of pounds by using digital technology and AI to tackle rampant fraud across Whitehall, a new report by the National Audit Office suggests today.

The disclosure comes after the Government was forced to drop plans to abolish the winter fuel allowance and cuts to disabled people, leaving around a £6 billion hole in Rachel Reeves spending plans. The move has led to speculation that she will have to raise taxes in the autumn Budget.

According to the NAO Whitehall is losing between £55 billion and £81 billion a year in fraud and error and the report says by using digital technology could prevent at least £6 billion of the losses every year in the immediate future. This is virtually equivalent to the money the Government has lost by restoring the winter fuel allowance and keeping PIP for disabled people. Given most of the cuts were not due to take place until the end of next year, it gives Whitehall time to plan.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Conservative Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts said: "With fraud and error potentially costing the taxpayer up to £80 billion a year, it is vital that Government prioritises data analytics to make sure the right amount of money goes to the right recipient.

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"Whilst tools used in Government are often designed to detect transactions where fraud and error has already occurred, it is the preventative use that is much more cost-effective."

The estimate comes from the Government Digital Service and is taken from savings already achieved by HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions by using data analysis

The report says: "GDS believes Government could save as much as £6 billion a year by using data analytics to help tackle fraud and waste. The use of data analytics to tackle fraud and error has the potential to save billions of pounds of taxpayer money. Counter-fraud experts, within and outside of Government, consistently told us that data analytics needed to be a key part of any plan to reduce fraud and error."

The DWP used data analysis to scrutinise Universal Credit claims and is estimated to have saved £588 million from potential fraud and error.

HMRC is using a number of in-house data analytics platforms to help decide where it should prioritise tax investigations, and to support those investigations. The platforms which were first introduced in 2010, now bring together over 100 datasets to find potential anomalies between an individual's declared income and their assets or lifestyle. Savings amount to £3-4 billion a year.

Other projects include a pilot scheme in the NHS known as Project Athena, a data science and machine learning project, which tackles fraud. The pilot detects anomalous data points that could be prioritised for investigation or fraud prevention intervention, such as staff working elsewhere while claiming to be sick, or fake invoices.

EXCLUSIVE

Reform's Darren Grimes Accused of Lying After Police Deny Telling Him Not to Hold Council Surgeries for 'Security' Reasons

EXCLUSIVE: Local police have rejected the Reform UK deputy council leader's claim that they advised him not to meet his constituents

Josiah Mortimer

The ministry of Justice data science team has developed a machine learning model using AI that flags possible fraud, corruption and bribery using prison staff misconduct records.

However the report states that it is not mandatory for every government department to introduce data analysis and there is no cross government strategy to implement it.

Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: "Gover...

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Conservative plans to ban all non-Brits from claiming disability benefits would be unworkable and could push children into poverty, according to campaigners and academics.

Over the weekend, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride said Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and disability payments under Universal Credit should be limited to UK citizens because his party believes "British citizenship should mean something."

He struggled to answer questions as to why his party didn't make that change during its 14 years in power, as Politico noted.

But while pushing the policy over the weekend, shadow policing minister Matt Vickers conflated asylum seekers - who cannot claim the benefit - with foreign nationals who arrived via regular routes and have legal status. Many of them will have worked and paid taxes in the UK for years.

Vickers told Sky News: "This is about getting rid of some of those pull factors, about making, you know, why are all those people fleeing from France to come to the UK? Because they think life here is paid for."

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He suggested that PIP and Universal Credit disability payments only go to those out of work - saying their plans would hit those who "ended up not working, [who] have ended up not contributing." PIP is available to those in work (and out), as a way of supporting people who face extra costs due to their disabilities.

Vickers added: "People who live here who are contributing need to be put first." Again, non-Brits who had lived here and worked here for decades would also be excluded under the Conservative plans.

And he claimed: "We are paying out a billion pounds a month in sickness benefits to households with foreign nationals. That's not acceptable."

However, the figure covers any household with a foreign national in it, which means it may be a British citizen claiming the benefit. In other words, the true figure may be nearer to £0.

Specifically, the policy - added as a Conservative amendment to Labour's stripped-back Universal Credit Bill - would significantly restrict PIP and Universal Credit payments for disabled people who have a Limited Capability for Work (LCW) or the more severe Limited Capability for Work- and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) status. Those with LCW status are expected to be able to work in future with support, while those on LCWRA status are not. PIP recipients are often in work.

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Most migrants are already blocked from accessing public funds until they get permanent residence - they are on a 'No Recourse to Public Funds' condition from the Home Office. This has also applied to almost all EU nationals in the UK from 2021 (and longer for non-EU migrants).

Potential disability benefit claimants are subject to a residency check (known as 'past presence test') - where they must prove they have lived in the UK for the last two out of three years.

Byline Times has spoken to experts and campaigners about the Conservative proposals, which have been little-analysed so far.

Misleading Voters?

Cary Mitchell, a director at the internationalist campaign group Best for Britain, argues much of the rise in welfare spend in recent years was attributable to the last Conservative Government's "shambolic handling" of the pandemic and its aftermath.

"The Conservatives are cynically and deliberately misrepresenting this general trend of their making to increase division," Mitch...

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On Monday, I gave what might have been my first ever fist pump for a House of Lords debate. Lord Watson of Invergowrie asked a question in the chamber about an investigation I published with Index on Censorship, where 53% of the school librarians I surveyed said they had been asked to remove books from their shelves. Even more worryingly, 56% of those librarians then felt forced to actually remove the books in question.

An overwhelming number of the books ripped off school library shelves had LGBTQ+ themes or authors, and the bans were usually in reaction to a single parent complaint - or even school leaders acting in anticipation of causing offence among particular communities. I spoke to librarians who feared for their jobs, and others have been in touch since, telling me about the pressure they are under.

The debate in the House of Lords showed overwhelming support for the freedom to read, and it was heartening to see the Lords sit up and listen.

BREAKING

Reform UK Tells Prospective Candidates Who Failed Vetting to Reapply Under New 'Common Sense' Rules

Individuals previously blocked from standing for Nigel Farage's party have been told to reapply under new rules prioritising "freedom of expression"

Josiah Mortimer

Fast-forward to Wednesday evening. Just as I was thinking about which picture book to read to my son (which may or may not have had LGBTQ+ themes), a Reform councillor was making plans to raid library collections across Kent.

Councillor Paul Webb told his X audience that one member of the public had contacted him with concerns about books with transgender themes in the children's section of public libraries.

"I've today issued an instruction for them all to be removed from the children's section of any of our libraries," he said.

That's 99 libraries. Based on one complaint. It was unclear from his video whether this related to one particular book or all books with a hint of transgenderness, but if the response from Linden Kemkaran, leader of Kent County Council, is anything to go by, we might assume that it was the latter.

Forty minutes after Webb's X post, Kemkaran gave a message of support, also on X: "Courage & common sense in #Kent from my brilliant colleague who's acted decisively & REMOVED all trans-related books from our libraries children's sections with immediate effect."

So far, so murky. And then, a statement from Kent County Council made the issue even more confused.

Published in several news outlets, the statement said: "Kent County Council have confirmed that children are not and will not be exposed to adult transgender literature in our libraries.

"Staff at the county's 99 libraries have been asked to ensure that books are always stocked in age-appropriate categories and that no adult literature makes its way into areas specifically aimed at children, or where children will be selecting books, such as the public welcome displays.

"It follows feedback from a resident who spotted a transgender book aimed at adults in a public display at the entrance of one library in Kent. The book has since been relocated to a section that is unlikely to be visited by children."

There's certainly a lot to be said here about what happens when you hand out instructions via social media, and the chaos that ensues. Kemkaran's X post suggests that all books with transgender themes have been removed from children's sections. The Kent County Council statement suggests that the book about which the complaint was made wasn't actually a children's book, and wasn't even in the children's section in the first place. So, what exactly is the truth?

EXCLUSIVE

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EXCLUSIVE: Local police have rejected the Reform UK deputy council leader's claim that they ...

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Prospective Reform UK candidates in one of the party's new electoral strongholds, who were previously blocked by the party's internal vetting processes, have been told to re-apply under what are described as a new set of "common sense" standards.

A post on July 4 by Reform UK's official East Thanet Facebook page stated the party has adopted a new set of vetting standards as of July 7, which are "more proportionate than before". They claim to give more weight to "individual freedom of expression" - despite following a slew of scandals involving Reform candidates posting racist content online.

In a call for candidates following the apparent overhaul of their vetting standards, the East Thanet Reform post states: "We're treating this as a blank slate. If you have previously failed vetting, you are strongly encouraged to reapply under the new standards…Priority will be given to re-vetting" - i.e. giving people previously rejected as unfit for office a second bite of the cherry.

The post adds: "An election can be called with little notice. By-elections are frequent events as councillors retire or stand down. It is important that all branches have prospective candidates lined up ready to go. With plans to contest every seat at every level we need credible candidates to step forward. If you feel you have the necessary skills, now is the time to apply."

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The apparent loosening in standards came on the same day that a councillor suspended by Reform UK appeared in court accused of making threats to kill his wife.

Daniel Taylor, who now stands as an independent on Kent County Council, had the party whip withdrawn last month after being arrested on June 1, Kent Online reported. The 37-year-old appeared at Folkestone Magistrates' Court last Friday (4th July) charged with three offences, all of which he denied, according to the outlet.

A senior Kent Labour source told Byline Times: "In the same week a suspended Reform councillor appeared in court accused of threatening to kill his girlfriend, it's deeply troubling that Reform has announced it is watering down its vetting processes and is even encouraging previously rejected applicants to reapply.

"Communities need to have confidence that political parties are putting forward candidates who are fit and proper to stand for public office. After repeated vetting failures, Reform should be tightening its standards - not lowering the bar even further."

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It comes after Reform MP James McMurdock resigned the party whip over the weekend, after the Sunday Times reported he took out £70,000 in Government loans in 2020, including "£50,000 for one business, JAM Financial Ltd, which had no employees and negligible assets until the Covid pandemic." Byline Times has previously reported on allegations that McMurdock lied about his working history.

Other examples of Reform UK representatives facing suspension in recent weeks for their behaviour or comments include - as covered by the the campaign group Hope Not Hate:

"RAF employee & Reform UK candidate Luke Shingler (Galley Common, Warwickshire CC), who announced just prior to the election that he would have to sit as an Independent instead because military rules prohibit him from joining any political organisations" - something vetting should have flagged up

"Nottinghamshire's Desmond Clarke (Newark West division, Notts CC) w...

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We typed 'woman' into Google News this morning: it gave us one woman beaten, another poisoned by an unlicensed botox clinic, several women pictured for an objectifying Daily Mail article about 'sex faces'… and an op-ed in the Spectator titled: 'Ofcom still isn't sure what a woman is'.

The latter involves some bloke called Toby complaining about how 'woman' isn't being used properly as a term, as he peddles his own agendas of transphobia and climate-scepticism (his view is that the press should sooner be questioning the climate crisis than the 'clear, scientific, biological definition of a woman'). Looking through this morning's headlines, poor lexicology is the least of women's problems. So fight your fights, Toby, but not in our name.

Eleven weeks on, it seems the Supreme Court ruling described by the British press as "historic" and a "vindication" for "feminism" has achieved quite a lot of nothing. We were told it would bring "clarity" to equality law and reduce male violence in single-sex spaces. In reality, the confusion wrought has seen a new misogyny law thrown out and the Labour women's conference postponed.

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Mathilda Mallinson

Toby says the definition of woman is now a "settled matter". Keir Starmer said "a woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear". And so our first exercise on this week's Media Storm was trying to define an "adult female". But we couldn't pin down a biological criteria that comprehensively captures all cis women. Chromosomes, gonads, genitals, hormone levels, facial hair - someone always falls through the cracks.

The Independent's solution has been to equate "biologically-female" with "assigned-female-at-birth", but that doesn't hold up because transitioning people's biology changes, and so people born male may become biologically female.

Meanwhile, some cis women are born without ovaries, or with a rogue Y chromosome. Imane Khalif was born a woman, given a female birth certificate, and then deemed to have failed one of these modern "biology" readings. Does she now lose protection under UK equality law? If so, do not tell us that was done in our name.

For our part, it seems counterintuitive to put the definition of womanhood to paper - we never felt the need to contemplate it before the media decided to lynch any MP who didn't have a "simple answer". Prescriptive definitions of what a 'woman' should be have never worked in women's interests. Indeed, the entire point of feminism has been challenging restrictive characteristics.

So, clarity? No. We have not been given that. "The implication that trans people are coming along and saying 'science is wrong' is a piece of propaganda," said our guest, LGBTQ+ activist, YouTuber metalhead and insect-enthusiast, Katy Montgomerie.

There's always an example of a woman who doesn't fit into your biological definition. It ends up being a philosophy problem

Katy Montgomerie, LGBTQ+ activist

How about the second point, that this ruling addresses male violence in single-sex spaces? Despite a lack of evidence of attacks by trans people in public toilets (we set our intern the task of finding them and she identified only one case involving a trans teenager from six years ago), rapes and sexual assaults are happening there. FOI requests on the topic have been almost flatly denied by police, but we managed to locate one dataset.

Gwent Police covers 600 square miles of rural Wales, and counted 134 recorded incidents of rape and assault in public toilets over five years. Women are being violated in toilets, but not by trans women. Are we seriously supposed to feel pacified b...

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Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the High Court today in support of direct action group Palestine Action's attempts to temporarily reverse the Government's bid to ban them as a terrorist organisation .

Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, asked the High Court to impose an interim suspension on the proscription ahead of a hearing later this month in which Palestine Action will attempt to argue that it was unlawful.

On Wednesday MPs voted overwhelmingly to proscribe Palestine Action, with 385 votes for and just 26 against.

The vote was in response to an action the organisation took which saw members break into an RAF base in Brize Norton, Oxfordshire and spray-paint Voyager planes that they claimed were destined for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. The RAF has flown hundreds of surveillance missions over Gaza from RAF Akrotiri since 07 October 2023. Police claim the activists caused £7 million worth of damage to the planes.

The court heard that the attempt to proscribe Palestine Action was "absurd" and "an authoritarian abuse of power".

Raza Husain KC, for Ms Ammori told the court, "This is the first time in our history that a direct action civil disobedience group, which does not advocate for violence, has been sought to be proscribed as terrorists."

BREAKING

The Law That Will Allow the UK Government to Ban Palestine Action

The ban will make it illegal to support the civil disobedience group, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison

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He said "We ask you, in the first instance, to suspend until July 21 what we say is an ill-considered, discriminatory and authoritarian abuse of statutory power which is alien to the basic tradition of the common law and is contrary to the Human Rights Act."

The KC added that the Home Office "has still not sufficiently articulated or evidenced a national security reason that proscription should be brought into effect now".

The majority of protesters outside the court were there in support of Palestine Action, however there was a handful of pro-Israel protesters from the organisation Our Fight UK who held a banner reading "there is no genocide in Gaza".

One protester, an American called Sam, told Byline Times "I think what the government is trying to do is both absurd and outrageous, and they're trying to silence the movement in any way that they can, and that is because of the size of the movement."

He added "they can make it impossible for us to join Palestine action, but they cannot get rid of the idea of Palestine Action or the fact that people are going to take direct action against murderers".

If the proscription goes ahead, it will make it a crime to be a member of Palestine Action. Proscription would also make expressions of support for the group illegal, meaning demonstrations outside future court cases involving the group would be a crime.

Membership of a proscribed organisation carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Proscribed groups include Islamic State and al Qaeda.

Another protester, who declined to give their name told Byline Times "I don't think it's terrorism, because they are not being harmful, they are not being violent. They are just trying to disrupt the war machine that is killing innocent Palestinian babies on a daily basis".

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He added "obviously they have broken some laws. They've done trespassing and stuff like that. That's as far as it goes, it doesn't constitute terrorism".

The protest is just one in a string of demonstrations in support of Palestine Action that have occurred since the announcement that Parliament would vote to proscribe the organisat...

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What do this sequence of numbers represent and do they matter: 4, 5, 6, 9, 72,121 and 411? The politically eagle eyed amongst you would know that these are the seats for the main parties and blocks in Parliament.

Let's go through the numbers to understand what if anything they mean and tell us. 411 is the number of Labour MPs. It's a very big number in parliamentary terms. It gives Labour a whopping majority 165, which means one thing and one thing only, that Labour is going to be in office until the polls give it a good enough excuse to call the next election, or by summer 2029 they simply run out of room.

A big majority guarantees a party will stay in office but nothing else. The Conservatives had a big enough majority after 2019 and yet chaos ensued. They simply didn't have a plan for the country or how to govern it. They became rebellious and focused on plots and plans about who was next up to pretend that they were in charge.

If this all feels familiar after one year of a Labour Government with almost double the majority of the Conservatives that's because it's more a crisis of the whole political system than it is the personalities who happen to be trying to run it.

Whether Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, or Morgan McSweeney stay or not is now largely beside the point. Unless, and until, Labour develops a political analysis of the place of social democracy in the third decade of the 21st century, then changing the captain of the ship heading for the rocks is irrelevant - unless they drastically change direction.

The only difference will be that it won't take a year for the incompetence of any new leader to be exposed, but like Liz Truss, it's more likely to take months or even weeks.

121 is the Conservative seat total. Little needs to be said about the non-renewal of the Conservative brand under Kemi Badenoch. But like the existential crisis of social democracy, there is a crisis of centre right Christian style democracy the world over. The Conservative's show no sign, no inclination, and no ability to even begin to solve it.

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Neal Lawson

72 is a number of seats the Liberal Democrats hold. But honestly, despite some excellent new MPs in their ranks, has it made any difference to the country's political dialogue that their numbers have increased so dramatically?

Of course, smaller parties can struggle in terms of media profile, but as we will see below, numbers aren't everything. The Liberal Democrats are now a centre left Party representing a centre right electorate at a moment when post liberal sentiment is sharpening all the time.

The crisis of liberal democracy is as real as its social and Christian varieties. The vein hope of influence in a hung parliament is just that. What do the Liberal Democrats want influence to do and how?

Nine is the number of SNP representatives in parliament, down dramatically from their high points since 2015. Labour's failings mean they could recover both in Holyrood next May and at the next General Election. But the goal of independence is as far away as ever.

Once again, it hardly matters if they have one MP or 100, why do they want independence, and how can it be enacted economically, legally and electorally? Without clear answers what are they doing?

Six, or maybe seven now, with Zarah Sultana, is the number of independent MPs. These are the early tremors that could shake the foundations of our party system. But the politics here are complex and contradictory. Trying to build a coherent project that contains inherent big cultural differences in terms of traditionalism versus uber-identity liberalism is going to be tough if not...

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Economic crime, corruption and a lack of financial transparency could be costing the UK up to £350 billion a year, a new report suggests.

The All Party Parliamentary Groups on Anti-Corruption & Responsible Tax and Fair Banking report argues that recovering money lost in the system and preventing future losses could be the key to much-needed economic growth.

The report launch occurred on the same day as Rachel Reeves welfare cuts u-turn left the Government with a £5 billion hole in its economic plans.

The Clean Foundations for Growth report states that the UK is "both a destination and transit country for economic crime primarily via Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies" and recommends implementing a publicly accessible register of beneficial ownership for companies operating there as an interim measure.

It also urges the Government to "create a real deterrent to enabling tax dodging, pro-actively using existing powers and requiring tax advisers to register with a regulatory body".

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David Hencke

Pushback against transparency rules from British Overseas Territories - which operate as tax havens - is a major hurdle for the Government in implementing an anticorruption agenda.

In 2020, the UK Government ordered the Overseas Territories to introduce publicly accessible beneficial ownership registers.

The publication of the anti-corruption report came two days after the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Bermuda, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos missed a key deadline on implementing a register of beneficial ownership listed in the territories.

On 23 June, BVI also announced a new policy on access to beneficial ownership information. It would only allow access to information about companies registered there if the party requesting it had a credible reason to believe that someone with a 25% or higher stake in a firm has violated anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing or counter-weapons proliferation financing rules.

After BVI missed the register deadline, the UK Anticorruption Coalition (UKACC) - a collection of anticorruption NGOs - stated "far from moving towards increased transparency and shining a light on economic crimes and tax abuse, their plans would actively place journalists and civil society actors at legal and physical risk".

It added: "This is all the more concerning given that the BVI has recently been added to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list due to serious deficiencies in its anti-money laundering regime."

If a country, or territory, fails to act on corruption and economic crime while on the grey list it can be added to the FATF blacklist. Countries currently on the blacklist include Iran, North Korea and Myanmar.

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The UKACC added that if any Overseas Territory "continues to defy the will of the UK Parliament, the Government should be prepared to escalate its response".

"All legal and constitutional options should be on the table to ensure these commitments are delivered in full and without further delay," it stated.

Speaking at a launch event for the report in Westminster - which was attended by anticorruption campaigners as well as representatives from banks and the lobby group for the City, UK Finance - Kathryn We...