THE opaque funding of dark money think tanks with close ties to the UK Government must be “urgently” addressed, according to the SNP.
It comes after the Who Funds You? project by openDemocracy found that the nine least transparent think tanks have raised more than £14 million from mystery donors in the past two years.
The formerly volunteer-run project uses the income disclosures of the 28 most influential think tanks to rank them on a scale of how transparent their funding is.
This year’s analysis ranked nine of these bodies with an ‘E’ rating – the worst possible score.
Together they had a total income of at least £14.3 million but there was negligible or in some cases no information visible to the public concerning where the majority of this money comes from.
I raised @openDemocracy's excellent #whofundsyou report in the Commons yesterday and have written to the Prime Minister seeking an urgent meeting on shadily funded think tanks. https://t.co/gkjQkn5Bfv
— Deidre Brock MP (@DeidreBrock) November 18, 2022
Some of the worst rated organisations include the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA), the right-wing think tank that greeted Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-Budget with glee at the time of its announcement, and the Adam Smith Institute, which also has close ties to the Conservative Party.
SNP MP Deirdre Brock welcomed the report and has written to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to request a meeting to discuss its findings.
The MP for Edinburgh North and Leith previously challenged the Prime Minister on the shadowy nature of think tank funding and queried the legitimacy of their charitable status at Prime Minister’s Questions.
She said: “The Who Funds You? 2022 report, now conducted by openDemocracy, provides a comprehensive and much-needed financial audit of the UK’s most high-profile think tanks.
“While some of the bodies were found to have very good reporting practices, the report confirms that many of those with the greatest sway over public policy are awash with secretive funding.
READ MORE: Edinburgh Labour councillor in stinging attack on party
“If we don’t know who funds think tanks, then we cannot know for sure whose interests they are really serving or why they are advocating particular policies.
She added: “For evidence of the far-reaching impact these bodies can have on our economy and public life, we only need to look at the fallout from Truss and Kwarteng’s catastrophic mini-budget, which was directly inspired by policies from bodies such as the IEA.
“The Prime Minister must heed my call to address this matter urgently, otherwise questions will linger about his about his government's links with these shadowy groups.”
Who Funds You? previously ran for seven years before coming to an end in 2019.
READ MORE: UK urged to ditch Energy Charter Treaty hated by Scots
However, openDemocracy have relaunched the project after campaigners highlighted concerns about the influential nature of often opaquely funded organisations close ties to the UK Government.
Ten organisations received the highest rating of ‘A’, meaning they named all funders who donated £5000 or more in the past year and published the exact amount given.
These included the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Fabian Society.
Downing Street has been contacted for comment.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel