A bombshell new book alleges that political operatives tied to the United Kingdom’s ruling establishment quietly coordinated an international campaign to suppress right-leaning American media outlets — all while running a covert effort to reshape British politics from within.
According to investigative journalist Paul Holden, newly uncovered Labour Party files — including internal documents never before made public — show a pattern of strategic deception, behind-the-scenes coordination, and covert political operations designed to deliver current Prime Minister Keir Starmer to power. These tactics, Holden reports, mirror methods previously used by a corporate, pro-Israel faction inside Labour that earlier worked to marginalize and ultimately dismantle the party’s left flank during Jeremy Corbyn’s rise.
The documents reveal that these operatives built networks of so-called anti-disinformation groups that presented themselves as neutral fact-checking organizations. In reality, Holden writes, they worked aggressively to defund, demonetize, and deplatform conservative media sources — both in the UK and abroad — using reputational attacks and pressure campaigns. Interviews and internal communications suggest these groups were never truly independent but instead operated in “lockstep” with senior Labour figures determined to weaken populist movements on both sides of the Atlantic.
Holden’s reporting also details what was happening simultaneously inside Labour during the 2017 election. While party officials publicly celebrated an unexpected surge, a powerful internal faction was secretly diverting funds and resources to undermine Corbyn’s leadership. From a covert base of operations in Ergon House, senior bureaucrats ran a parallel campaign, funneling donor money to anti-Corbyn candidates while depriving Labour’s official operation of the funds needed for a competitive nationwide effort.
A leaked 860-page internal report from 2020 had already revealed deep hostility toward Corbyn among senior Labour staff, some of whom privately admitted they hoped the party would perform poorly in 2017. Holden’s new findings indicate that the misuse of donations was far more serious than previously understood — potentially breaching UK election spending laws, particularly in races where the diverted money was improperly reported. Labour’s continued refusal to release key materials tied to this funding has intensified concerns about transparency and cast new doubt on Starmer’s claims that he would “restore trust” in politics.
After the 2017 campaign, strategist Morgan McSweeney — now widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Starmer’s orbit — began transforming the group Labour Together into an anti-Corbyn organizing vehicle. Holden documents that McSweeney used wealthy donors and newly created advocacy groups to amplify allegations that would politically damage Corbyn. Meanwhile, he failed to report more than £700,000 in donations despite being legally required to do so. The violation ultimately resulted in fines, confirming that the very operatives now leading Labour had already broken transparency rules.
In 2022, BBC News reported that Labour Together was fined £14,250 for failing to declare more than £730,000 in donations, further substantiating Holden’s reporting. By 2019, McSweeney had fully positioned himself behind Starmer’s leadership bid — helping craft his image as a “continuity candidate,” even as Starmer privately planned a major ideological shift once in office.
Holden concludes that these operations — both domestic and international — hollowed out Labour’s credibility and left the party facing collapsing public trust, with serious questions now looming over the integrity of Starmer’s closest advisers.
