Shadow World Investigations

This is how Starmer will go down in history. @PaulEHolden, an investigative journalist who was targeted by a Labour Together smear campaign, writes a political obituary for Keir Starmer as his premiership comes to an end. Read it here: novara.media/457EOPt

Grateful to Novara Media for giving me the word count for a proper political obituary of Starmer! "Starmer might not have a political economy, but he certainly has a moral one. He inhabits a world where some people are deserving of attention, grace, kindness or deference. Usually this is determined by whether he thinks they are ‘proper’ people: the suit-wearers who hold zippy ‘bilats’ or who wield the sort of institutional power he alternatingly fears or valorises. These people Starmer treats with genuine warmth, care and respect – like the media class that repeatedly defends him as a ‘decent man’ because they fall within his internal Venn diagram of respectability, cultural cache and power, so Starmer treats them decently. But woe betide those who fall into his out-group of the contemptible. These are usually people other powerful and socially adept people think are worthy of ridicule, and will give Starmer a thumbs-up if he punches down. For this group, Starmer has nothing but disdain, or cruelty or indifference. We know who falls into this category: leftwingers, Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott, peace activists and Palestinians; those who stand up at Labour conference and demand accountability for genocide; the irresponsible idealists who refuse to put aside childish things like protest marches and human rights and justice and saving the climate in return for incrementalism, stoicism, ‘grown up’ politics, handshakes with dictators, dinner parties in Davos and accommodation with the ‘reasonable demands’ of capital. Or, more concretely, the hundreds of thousands of members he told to leave the party – and did." novaramedia.com/2026/07/17/ign…

Keir Starmer's political obituary, written by the perfect person: @pauleholden for @novaramedia. novaramedia.com/2026/07/17/ign…

POINT OF IMPACT is now live: corruption-tracker.org/blog/arming-po…! Our first 'Point of Impact', a blog series led by activists, written by guest contributor Tabitha Agaba, focuses on militarization and corruption in Uganda's arming power. Long story short, it's all about power.

And just like that...we're on Substack! For all things scandalous on the arms trade follow us on Substack @armstradect. Come say hi; we'd love to hear from you: armstradect.substack.com/?r=8qnf2w&utm_… @ShadowWorldInv @WorldPeaceFdtn @ForumArmsTrade

Oh brilliant. Another revolving door lobbyist at the top of urnham's Number 10. Arden's previous clients have included oil & gas companies, data centres and US arms giant Northrup Grumman. Northrup provides parts and weapons systems to the IDF. Arden sponsored Steve Reed's absurd performance at Labour Conference last year, where he wore and distributed MAGA-Style "Build, Baby, Build" caps.

Every 7 years, the EU locks in its big 6-year budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) For 2028–2034, the plan is a 400% more military spending than the current 2021–2027 budget Parliament and EU governments still have to approve it in 2026. But the direction is clear

Here you go. The last dying kicks of this corrupted, authoritarian government. This is being done under the State Threats Bill that Mahmood and allies like Luke Akehurst pushed through Parliament in the last month. This is going to have wild, unpredictable effects. Practically what it will mean is that it will be almost impossible for media outlets to work with on- the-ground journalists to report on Iran, Gaza or Lebanon. But I fear this will also be turned on the movement protesting Israel's genocide in Gaza. Don't believe me? Just days ago NGO Monitor produced a wild-eyed report, endorsed by Lord Walney and Michael Gove, that paints the huge public protests in the UK against Israel's genocide as the work of an international campaign linked to nefarious foreign actors. The report urged the IRGC to be proscribed. Proscribing the IRGC is one of the most consistent and powerful demands of the Board of Deputies and other pro-Israel organisations. Deeply chilling, authoritarian, irresponsible stuff. Mahmood and the Labour Together project have waged a vicious war on our democracy and basic civil liberties.

In November @ShadowWorldInv1 new book will be released. “Making A Killing: How the West Profits from slaughter in Gaza & Yemen” in which we will reveal how much has been made from these horrific conflicts and who has made it. It lays bare the myriad war profiteers who are literally making a killing as tens of thousands are killed

So excited this is finally coming out later this year after many, many years of hard work led by my incredible colleagues at @shadowworldinv1!

Coming soon. The @ShadowWorldInv1 team, @Ruth4Peace @jackcinamon @andrewfeinstein @pauleholden have chronicled the way western govts and companies armed the wars in Yemen and Gaza. Launch and tour coming end of the year - keep your eyes peeled

Outside the Old Bailey in support of the Filton defendants on trial. Direct Action is a legitimate form of peaceful protest that was used against the apartheid South African state, including by the anti-apartheid movement in Britain

"This is a crucial moment to isolate Israel like never before." Anti-apartheid activist and author Andrew Feinstein argues that sport cannot be separated from politics, drawing parallels between the international sporting boycott of apartheid South Africa and calls for action against Israel’s participation in international football. @andrewfeinstein | Ahmed Masoud | @HalaHanina | @AlnaouqA

One chamber of the German parliament just voted to punish "denying Israel's right to exist", whatever that means, with UP TO 5 YEARS IN PRISON. It hasn't been passed by the Bundestag yet, but it's insane that something so blatantly illogical & unconstitutional can pass any vote

The arms trade is a corrupt fraud: A former head of NATO working for a firm that promotes arms sales gets to invoke fear as though he’s an independent expert. Defence budgets increase by billions. Arms companies make a fortune. Individuals like this profit. Our politicians and political parties get big paydays. Corrupt to the core and we are paying for it all.

"We recognised a Palestinian state only after every part of a functioning state - schools, hospitals, administrative buildings, food production, generators, water & sanitation facilities - had been systematically bombed in Gaza, which we helped with spare plane parts and surveillance flights. And then Israel sort of stopped bombing so much after we made a symbolic gesture, but still did some bombing, but just the right amount so that the BBC could now politely ignore a smaller number of daily deaths and we can pretend the genocide is over even as parents in Gaza have to protect their sleeping kids from rats and disease. History will be kind to us." Utterly delusional, craven stuff. A stain on British politics that won't wash out.

@wesstreeting You called South Africa's application to the ICJ a "distraction." Maybe sit this one out.

Read more here: corruption-tracker.org/blog/the-man-b…

No surprises that someone responsible for promoting arms sales for The Cohen Group in Washington is scaring the public with the threat of war - while, in turn, trying to boost profits for arms companies. The media establishment are clearly all in… bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…