Sergei & The Westminster Spy Ring

£42,879.49

Raised

Donations

£46,300

Goal


NEW CITIZENS PODCAST SERIES TO EXPOSE TRUTH BEHIND RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN BRITISH POLITICS 


Why has the government refused to investigate Russian interference in our democracy? We plan to tell the story of how the Kremlin captured the British establishment. But due to mounting legal fees, we need one final favour to get this podcast across the line. Can you support us?


From exclusive parties at the Russian Embassy to the corridors of Westminster, journalists Carole Cadwalladr and Peter Jukes – with the help of Conservative party whistleblower Sergei Cristo – expose an alleged secret spy ring operating at the very heart of the British political system. This is the untold story of the most audacious Russian influence operation in British history. It involves honey traps, Russian agents and information warfare.

As we go to press, the Electoral Commission is now urging Keir Starmer to take a tougher stance on donations to political parties because Elon Musk —- the world's richest man —- wants to donate up to £80m to Nigel Farage’s Reform Party. We can’t let Elon Musk do in the UK what he has done in the US and buy our democracy out from under us. 

This brand new podcast from the Citizens and sister company Project Citizen, seeks to shine a light in the dark corners of a Westminster spy ring, and show how power infiltrates and subverts democracy. It’s why we at the Citizens, with your support, took a legal action against the UK government to protect our elections from foreign interference; a case that is now at the European Court of Human Rights. 

We know this podcast has been a long time in the making. We have been exposed to much higher legal costs then we anticipated and are now £10k over budget. It’s hard and increasingly costly to speak truth to power. If you can HELP US PLUG THIS GAP it would make an enormous difference to us. We operate on a shoestring budget and £10k is a very large sum for us. 


Why we need this podcast series


We have been campaigning for more than three years for a full investigation into the findings of the Russia Report. In August 2020, we joined forces with a cross-party group of MPs and peers to bring a legal action against the government for its failure to protect our democratic integrity. Our next step is to bring together for the first time all of the different threads of this story in a compelling podcast series and examine close-up the issue which our security services have identified as the single biggest threat to our national security. With your help, we think we can do it. 


Our legal challenge and this campaign is more important than ever as overseas actors like Musk threaten to consolidate power on both sides of the Atlantic by making use of a weak legal framework - one that our legal action seeks to strengthen. 


Your donations will help us cover our rising legal costs and take this podcast to the finish line. 


The Citizens is a non-profit organisation which is funded through grants from Ford Foundation, Luminate, Open Society Foundations and via public donations from our supporters. Read more about us at https://the-citizens.com/about-us/



Donor Wall255

Delia Smith | £1,000

Fantastic work. Thank you.

Melanie Grocott | £52.31

Just heard the first two. Brilliant. Hope this helps - even in the smallest way.

Mic | £26.28

Keep up the good work guys and thanks for all you have done so far!

RICHARD JOHN ARMSTRONG | £26.48

Sarah Cowley | £26.28

Thank you all so much for everything you are doing for our country!

Robert Carey | £5.70

David | £26.48

We desperately need independent investigative journalism to expose the corruption and anti democratic forces which are permeating our society and politics.

Bruno Lacey | £52.31

Part Walsh | £26.28

Mark | £15.87

Lindsay | £26.28

Thomas Daniels

On behalf of freedom and democracy, thank you.

Clare

Appreciate your truthful and thorough journalism

Debra Fear | £5.70

Keep up the good fight

Jeremy Bate | £10.90

Richard Johnson | £16.09

Keep up the great work.

Danny

Keep on keeping on.

Paul | £53.49

This is very important work that you are doing. Keep going!

Kenneth Johnston | £26.28

Alan Garriock | £26.28

Colin | £100

We need you more than ever. Thank you for your work.

Mohammed Naeem | £26.48

Roy Norman | £26.48

Looking forward to hearing this. Hopefully you'll tell us why the MSM aren't interested.

Sarah Cowley | £10.66

Thank you all so much for what you are doing for our country!

Ian | £26.48

G B Robinson | £25

Holding many reciprocally contradictory thoughts as a from-the-very-start supporter of Stop the War UK, past CND member now listening hard to Carole, Jukes and the whole Byline Times approach. It's a complex world.

Glenn Oliver | £25

Derek

Angela | £52.45

This is such an important work. Thank you!

Stephen Basnett | £8

I hoped someone was working on this. Huge respect to all involved.