No more dithering and delaying on dirty money

Yesterday, Wednesday 24 June, the UK should have been welcoming representatives from across the world to a major summit on dirty money. But, as we wrote a few weeks back, it’s been kicked down the road to December. And with the current power vacuum in government it risks slipping off the agenda entirely.

It’s been a busy few weeks in politics. But while politicians are rearranging the furniture, the very real issues this country is facing are having no such break. In the 6 months the government has delayed the Illicit Finance summit, £394 billion of dirty money will move through the UK and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. A significant part of this is tax dodging, even if the government doesn’t want it on the summit agenda. In fact, the UK and its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are responsible for a staggering one quarter of all global tax losses each year— with giant multinational corporations and super rich individuals using these tax havens to shift profits or evade tax entirely.

Given the UK’s role in enabling so much of the dirty money flowing worldwide, it’s even more important our government takes responsibility in tackling this issue. While the delay is a worrying sign about how (un)seriously this issue is being taken, it also gives our movement more time to get the real issues on the agenda and avoid a tick box talking shop— as our Policy and Advocacy Manager, Joe argued in his piece for respected thinktank Radix Big Tent.

We’re using the delay to build up momentum inside Westminster, talking to a growing number of MPs about what the government needs to do to turn things around. And a few weeks ago, MPs from different parties— many of them primed and armed with reports, research and political briefings from ourselves and our partners— held a debate in parliament to shape plans for the upcoming summit. You can see interventions from Steff Aquarone (Lib Dem), Ellie Chowns (Green), Rebecca Long-Bailey (Labour), and Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on our social channels.

Finding, engaging and cultivating MPs like these, willing to use their platform to push for change, is central to how we win. But it’s far easier for us to engage MPs when they know their constituents care. It’s even better when you send them knocking on our door wanting to know more. Will you help us grow our political power-base by writing to your MP today, to tell them that putting an end to the dirty money running riot through the UK, matters to you?

With change incoming at the top of the government, our People’s Lobby has an opportunity to shape the government agenda in a real way. We must make clear that the new PM needs to put an end to the dirty money flows, robbing our communities of cash, and fuelling crime and conflict worldwide.