The Telegraph's Election Interference Exposé: How British Taxpayers Unknowingly Funded a Global Censorship Campaign & Interfered with Elections

The UK mainstream press reports on how British taxpayers unknowingly funded CCDH's election interference and 'black ops' against foreign politicians.

In a groundbreaking investigation published January 27, 2025, The Telegraph revealed how British taxpayers have been unwittingly funding sophisticated operations to influence elections and control public discourse on both sides of the Atlantic. The investigation exposed that the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a UK-based organization presenting itself as a champion against online misinformation, received £300,000 from taxpayer-funded charities while orchestrating covert political operations in the United States.

My previous reporting on the topic reveals that the UK government has been meddling not only in U.S. elections but apparently also in its own domestic elections, using the same playbook and organizations, including CCDH, to conceal and launder influence. Learn more here.

Following the Money

The web of financial connections uncovered by The Telegraph illustrates a complex scheme of public funding being channeled through seemingly independent charitable organizations. The Paul Hamlyn Foundation, which provided £100,000 to CCDH, had itself received £1.4 million from UK government bodies and an additional £180,000 from the National Lottery. Similarly, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation contributed £200,000 to CCDH while benefiting from over £300,000 in taxpayer funds.

These revelations validate months of investigative work done by myself and other independent journalists who had been documenting CCDH's concerning activities. Together, our investigations expose how public money flowed through a sophisticated network of charitable foundations to fund what appears to be direct political interference.

The Black Ops Revelation

Perhaps most alarming are the recently leaked internal documents dubbed the "Black Ops Memo," which reveal CCDH's explicit plans to target U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. "RFK Jr. – black ops being set up to look at RFK. Nervousness about the impact of him on the election," reads one particularly concerning entry from a January 2024 meeting.

The memo also details plans to deploy sophisticated AI-generated deepfakes for voter manipulation, including scenarios designed to influence public perception of various political figures. This technical capability, combined with CCDH's significant financial resources and political connections, represents a new frontier in election interference.

The revelation that government money flowed into an organization planning covert operations against a US presidential candidate represents not just election interference, but potentially a direct case of one government funding operations to undermine the democratic process of another sovereign nation. Learn more about this trans-Atlantic election meddling controversy centrally involved CCDH here.

Boots on the Ground

The scope of interference extends beyond digital manipulation. Sofia Patel, Labour's Head of Operations, coordinated the deployment of nearly 100 UK Labour Party staff to U.S. battleground states including Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Internal communications reveal detailed planning for housing and logistics, indicating a level of foreign electoral intervention that legal experts suggest likely violates multiple U.S. laws.

The Political Web

At the center of this operation sits Morgan McSweeney, CCDH's founder who now serves as Keir Starmer's chief of staff. This direct line to the highest levels of UK Labour Party leadership raises serious questions about the separation between government and what presents itself as an independent charitable organization. CCDH's CEO, Imran Ahmed, himself a former Labour Party strategist, has overseen what internal documents reveal as a coordinated campaign to "Kill Musk's Twitter" and reshape public discourse through pressure on digital platforms.

Legal Ramifications and International Impact

The activities exposed by investigative journalists based in the U.S. and now The Telegraph potentially violate several cornerstone U.S. laws designed to protect electoral integrity. Under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), organizations like CCDH engaging in political activities within the United States must register with the Department of Justice – a step CCDH appears to have avoided despite its extensive political operations. The coordination of nearly 100 British operatives in U.S. battleground states likely violates the Federal Election Campaign Act, which explicitly prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions or providing material support to U.S. elections.

Even more concerning is how these operations may breach Executive Order 13848, specifically designed to combat foreign interference in U.S. elections. The order, which targets both overt and covert forms of election interference, seems particularly relevant given CCDH's documented plans to deploy AI-generated deepfakes and coordinated disinformation campaigns.

The Global Censorship Playbook

Internal documents obtained through America First Legal's FOIA requests reveal an even more troubling pattern: the UK Foreign Office provided what critics have termed a "masterclass in censorship" to the Biden-Harris administration in August 2021. This meeting, involving twenty bilateral organizations and representatives from Five Eyes nations, suggests a coordinated international effort to control public discourse under the guise of combating disinformation. Learn the details of this global plot to censor, adjudicate and criminalize free speech here.

The significance of this revelation cannot be overstated. What began as a supposedly independent effort to counter online hate has emerged as a sophisticated international operation to influence elections and control public narrative, all while receiving taxpayer funding through a complex web of charitable organizations.

The Power of Independent Media: When Truth Breaks Through

The Telegraph's mainstream coverage of CCDH's taxpayer-funded activities represents a watershed moment in the ongoing battle for transparency and democratic accountability. But this breakthrough illuminates a larger truth about modern journalism: the critical role of independent investigators in uncovering stories that challenge powerful institutions and established narratives.

For years, independent journalists and researchers operated in digital trenches, meticulously documenting CCDH's web of influence while facing significant institutional resistance. Their work revealed not just the organization's dark money connections and political operations, but a sophisticated new model of election interference that blends charitable funding, advanced technology, and coordinated international action to shape public discourse.

The path from these initial investigations to The Telegraph's front page demonstrates how truth emerges in our digital age. Independent platforms first documented the "Kill Musk's Twitter" directive, exposed the deployment of UK operatives to US battleground states, and mapped the complex network of dark money funding behind CCDH's operations. They did this while facing censorship attempts from the very institutions they were investigating, often labeled as "misinformation" by the organizations they sought to expose.

That it took until 2025 for mainstream media to validate these findings speaks volumes about the changing landscape of investigative journalism. The traditional gatekeepers of information no longer hold a monopoly on uncovering crucial stories that affect democratic institutions. Instead, independent journalists, armed with digital tools and unwavering determination, have become essential watchdogs of democratic integrity.

This victory - the mainstream acknowledgment of what independent journalists long documented - serves as a powerful reminder that truth, while it can be temporarily suppressed, eventually finds its way to light. As we face increasing challenges to electoral integrity and free speech, the role of independent journalism in safeguarding democratic institutions has never been more vital. The Telegraph's investigation doesn't just validate years of independent research - it validates the very concept of citizen journalism in an era when traditional media often hesitates to challenge powerful interests.