This week the government passed the first of two laws to stop the rich and powerful from hiding dirty money and dodging tax.
The Economic Crime Bill was rushed through the House of Commons on Monday. It will start to reduce the attractiveness of the UK as a welcome location for people looking to hide dirty cash.
We wouldn’t have got to this point without a strong partnership with other campaigners against corruption, or without the commitment of cross-party MPs or your loyal support.
However, more work is needed to tackle the culture of impunity in parts of the legal and accounting professions – a minority of professionals have helped move dirty money through London.
The investigative journalist Oliver Bullough is among those who think the crackdown to date needs to go much further.
His new book Butler to the World reveals how the UK took up its position at the service of the the oligarchs, kleptocrats and gangsters.
Oliver has been the electronic face of the campaign group Led By Donkeys this week. He travelled around central London on the side of an electronic ad van explaining how the London Laundromat works.
The video is well worth a watch. It manages to explain London’s role in rolling out the red carpet to dirty money in the simplest way possible.
Finally, there’s just a few days to go before the deadline passes to apply to be our new Senior Communications and Campaigns Officer. The details are here.
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