Companies that donated to Labour awarded £138m in contracts, study finds
Companies that have recently donated to Labour were awarded contracts worth almost £138m during the party’s first year in government, according to research that raises fresh concerns about the relationship between political donations and public spending.A report by the thinktank Autonomy Institute has identified more than 100 companies that have given money to political parties and then won government contracts, under both Conservative and Labour administrations.The study follows a previous investigation by the Guardian that revealed how companies linked to Tory donors had been given billions in public funds since 2016.The new analysis shows the pattern has continued under Labour, with eight companies that donated more than £580,000 to the party receiving government contracts worth nearly £138m within two years of their donation (between July 2024 and June 2025).Looking beyond a two-year window, the thinktank found 25 Labour-linked companies had won contracts worth £796.
43m since 2001,Dr Susan Hawley, the executive director of Spotlight on Corruption said: “There is nothing more damaging to public trust than the perception that those with privileged access to those in power get privileged access to taxpayer-funded contracts,“These findings show a systemic problem with the UK’s absurdly weak handling of conflicts of interest,It must lead to systemic solutions which include screening out political donors and their companies from the procurement process, and real consideration of a ban on company directors or their companies that receive public contracts from making political donations,”The Autonomy Institute identified a total of 125 companies that were awarded central government contracts worth £28.
8bn after previously making £30,15m of donations to a political party,About £2,5bn worth of those contracts were awarded within two years of the donation,They include the consultancy firm Baringa Partners, which donated £30,061.
50 to Labour in January 2024 and received £35,196,719 worth of government contracts between July 2024 and March this year.Grant Thornton donated £81,658.37 between March 2023 and July 2024 and has since been awarded £6,541,819 in contracts.However, the vast bulk of the contracts – £25.4bn – were awarded under previous Conservative governments to Conservative donors.
They include Randox Laboratories and Globus Shetland, both of which were offered contracts during the Covid pandemic.A Conservative spokesperson said the party was funded by membership, fundraising and donations declared to the Electoral Commission and fully compliant with the law.They said the alternative “would be more taxpayer funding or being in the pocket of union barons like the current government”.They added: “As the National Audit Office and Cabinet Office internal audit made clear, ministers properly declared their interest and had no involvement in procurement decisions.Donations have never had any bearing on government contracts.
”A government spokesperson said: “All government contracts are awarded fairly and transparently, in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.All decisions on contracts are rigorously scrutinised to deliver the best value for the taxpayer.”Dr Will Stronge, the chief executive of the Autonomy Institute, said: “When the same corporations that bankroll political parties also win government contracts, the line between public service and private influence becomes dangerously blurred.The only way to alleviate concerns about favouritism and corruption is a ban on political donors receiving government contracts.”The study also identified four of the government’s 39 designated “strategic suppliers” – companies on which it significantly depends – that had donated to political parties and subsequently received contracts: Fujitsu, KPMG, Microsoft and PwC.
Microsoft and PwC had donated to and received contracts under both Labour and the Conservatives.Before the 2024 election, Labour sharply criticised the awarding of contracts to Conservative-linked companies without competitive tender during the pandemic.The then shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “The British public are understandably still angry that so much money from the public purse ended up with the friends and donors of the Tory party.”PwC said in a statement: “We consider requests for non-cash support from the main political parties – typically secondees providing limited, technical assistance under strict confidentiality and governance arrangements.We have no political affiliation.
”KPMG declined to comment,All the other companies mentioned were contacted for comment but did not respond,The study included the projected value of contracts that extend into the future, meaning not all of the £28,8bn has yet been spent,It also focused solely on corporate donors, not individuals donating in their own names.
Trump sanctions have swift impact but will world stop buying Russian oil and gas?
Donald Trump’s stated mission to broker peace in Ukraine could come down to this simple question: can the US president convince the world to stop buying Russia’s fossil fuels?Last week, Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, in an effort to damage Moscow’s ability to fund its war machine.Tom Keatinge, the founding director of the Centre for Finance and Security (CFS) at the defence thinktank Rusi, said: “The US has been more effective in 24 hours than the EU has been in the last six months. Trump is willing to say what many others are too timid or too diplomatic to say out loud. For the longest time people have been calling for Trump to pull out the sanctions hammer. It could be very significant
Peer trying to derail UK smoking ban discussed bill with relative at tobacco firm
A member of the House of Lords who is trying to derail the generational ban on tobacco sales discussed the legislation with a family member who is “very high up” at British American Tobacco (BAT).Lord Strathcarron is proposing amendments that would scrap the central provision of the tobacco and vapes bill, originally proposed by Rishi Sunak’s government.If the bill is passed in its original form, the UK would become only the second country to implement a so-called generational smoking ban, making it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 2008.Strathcarron’s proposal is to simply raise the legal purchase age from 18 to 21.The change proposed by the peer, who in a recent speech in the Lords described cigars as “harmless”, mirrors BAT’s lobbying position
Fare game: what the battle between taxis and Uber means for your airport trip in Sydney and Melbourne
By the time you’ve exited the plane, edged through passport control and endured the baggage claim wait, your only thought may be of home or a hotel bed. But passengers at Australia’s major airports have recently noticed some changes as they contemplate the final leg of their journey.Since Friday, in a bid to deter illegal touts, a new taxi booking trial at Melbourne airport has allowed some passengers to pay a fixed fare upfront. And next month, Sydney airport will begin its own one-year trial of a $60 flat fare for the 13km journey to the CBD.The changes, supported by the taxi industry, are a sign of its struggle to remain competitive with the rideshare companies – especially Uber
Amazon strategised about keeping its datacentres’ full water use secret, leaked document shows
Executives at world’s biggest datacenter owner grappled with disclosing information about water used to help power facilitiesAmazon strategised about keeping the public in the dark over the true extent of its datacentres’ water use, a leaked internal document reveals.The biggest owner of datacentres in the world, Amazon dwarfs competitors Microsoft and Google and is planning a huge increase in capacity as part of a push into artificial intelligence. The Seattle firm operates hundreds of active facilities, with many more in development despite concerns over how much water is being used to cool their vast arrays of circuitry.Amazon defends its approach and has taken steps to manage how efficient its water use is, but it has faced criticism over transparency. Microsoft and Google regularly publish figures for their water consumption, but Amazon has never publicly disclosed how much water its server farms consume
Saracens’ Noah Caluori called up by England for autumn internationals
Noah Caluori, the 19-year-old Saracens wing, has been named in England’s autumn internationals squad by Steve Borthwick.Caluori burst on to the Prem scene by scoring five tries against Sale on 18 October and, as England gear up for a busy November featuring four Tests, Borthwick has called up the uncapped youngster after initially inviting him to a training camp last week. The 36-player squad, including 19 forwards and 17 backs, gathered at Pennyhill Park in Surrey on Sunday night.Caluori made his second Prem start for Saracens in the defeat by table-topping Northampton on Friday. He had a considerably quieter night than the phenomenal display against Sale, and was given a severe defensive test by the Saints’ all-court attacking game
New York Jets legend Nick Mangold dies aged 41 while seeking kidney transplant
Nick Mangold, a hugely popular player during his 11-season career with the New York Jets, has died at the age of 41.Earlier this month, Mangold said he had been undergoing dialysis and needed a kidney transplant. He sought help from fans of the Jets and Ohio State, where he was a star in college.“In 2006, I was diagnosed with a genetic defect that has led to chronic kidney disease. After a rough summer, I’m undergoing dialysis as we look for a kidney transplant,” he wrote at the time
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