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Byline Times is an independent, reader-funded investigative newspaper, outside of the system of the established press, reporting on 'what the papers don't say' - without fear or favour. To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis. Help us build the better media Britain deserves Former Conservative Party Chairman and fundraiser Lord Feldman urged Boris Johnson to push through a contract for thousands of ventilators from leading Brexiteer James Dyson during the pandemic, saying he was "on a mission" to get it secured, new messages released by the Covid Inquiry reveal. Publication of the messages between Johnson and his senior ministers and advisers, comes after Byline Times revealed claims in an independent report commissioned by the Inquiry that Dyson had been handed "preferential treatment" in the awarding of a contract to his company for 10,000 ventilators, in what was described as an "affront" to normal procurement rules. According to the report, Conservative Minister Michael Gove had been "insistent that an order" was placed with Dyson's firm. This paper can now also reveal that in the days before the deal was made, both Boris Johnson and Conservative party Peer Lord Andrew Feldman also lobbied Government ministers to unblock delays in its signing. Michael Gove Told Officials to Buy 10,000 Ventilators From Dyson During Pandemic in 'Affront' to Procurement Rules Evidence published by the Covid Inquiry reveals that the Conservative Minister was "insistent that an order" was placed with leading Brexiter Sir James Dyson's firm Russell Scott On 25 March 2020, as the British Public adjusted to life under the first national lockdown the then PM Boris Johnson shared with Health Minister Matt Hancock a message he had received from Lord Feldman, who he refers to as "Felders", escalating the need to unblock the procurement process for Dyson's ventilator machines. The message read: "Dyson has a ventilator ready to go. We can have 3,000 a week in 3 weeks made in the UK. It's safe, effective and loses less oxygen. Rhys Williams has blocked it under the misapprehension that oxygen passes through the motor - that is total bollocks. As far as I can see we haven't actually ordered a single UK produced ventilator - we are at risk of fiddling whilst Rome burns. I've spoke to Matt and James Bethell about it and I've escalated the issue to everyone I can think of. "When you see Matt this am you need to ask about Dyson ventilator and what is blocking it. Sorry but I'm on a mission - Dyson knows what he is doing and won't risk his global brand reputation delivering dodgy ventilators" Hancock replies within one hour saying "i've brought Feldman in - he's doing God's work" before agreeing to discuss the matter with Johnson later the same morning. Later, Michael Gove appears to instruct officials to place a contract with Dyson for 10,000 ventilators. An email sent by civil servants five hours after Boris Johnson and Lord Feldman's messages, with the subject header "Purchase order for Dyson" confirms Michael Gove had "instructed" officials to "proceed at pace". Ministers appear to have had Dyson in mind prior to the award of the contract. An earlier exchange of messages on March 20, 2020, between Johnson and Hancock, shows the former Prime Minister sharing an undisclosed image with Hancock, accompanied by the message "Dyson freaking". Hancock replied: "I have also received the same. I will talk to Dyson and Michael and sort it. "At the heart of this problem is [Cabinet Office] trying to do things like buy ventilators that are core DHSC responsibility." The Covid Inquiry launched the first of four weeks of public hearings interrogating Government procurement of PPE, Covid tests and Ventilators during the pandemic. The first witness to be called before the inquiry, chaired by Baroness Heather Hallet, was independent procurement expert Professor Dr Albert Sanchez-Gr...

Byline Times is an independent, reader-funded investigative newspaper, outside of the system of the established press, reporting on 'what the papers don't say' - without fear or favour. To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis. Help us build the better media Britain deserves On the first Saturday of Ukraine's fourth year resisting Russia's full-scale war of aggression, clergy from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church led a procession of Bucha residents along the length of Yablunska Street, the site of some of the earliest atrocities of the war. With more than a hundred people in tow, the somber procession braved the icy wind, stopping at 14 locations where civilians had been executed by occupying Russian soldiers to offer prayers and read the names of the victims. "We're here to remember the most horrible morning that has ever happened in Bucha," one member of the clergy told the crowd. "There are some people pretending that this is not happening, and this is why we do this; they need to see it." Less than 24 hours earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been on the other side of the world, summoned to Washington, D.C., to sign a controversial deal with President Trump that would determine the future of almost all of Ukraine's natural resources. However, over the course of roughly ten minutes, in a remarkable display of ego-driven hostility toward the embattled Ukrainian leader, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance launched a barrage of condescending chastisement after Zelensky suggested the need for external security guarantees in diplomatic efforts to negotiate a ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin. ENJOYING THIS ARTICLE? HELP US TO PRODUCE MORE Receive the monthly Byline Times newspaper and help to support fearless, independent journalism that breaks stories, shapes the agenda and holds power to account. PAY ANNUALLY - £39.50 A YEAR PAY MONTHLY - £3.75 A MONTH MORE OPTIONS We're not funded by a billionaire oligarch or an offshore hedge-fund. We rely on our readers to fund our journalism. If you like what we do, please subscribe. For Bucha survivor Vira Katanenko, a 65-year-old retired math teacher and participant in the sorrowful procession, the spectacle of Trump and Vance attacking Zelensky for questioning Vance - someone known for telling Sieg-Heiling Steve Bannon that he doesn't "really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another" - was confirmation that the United States under Trump is not to be relied on. "I distinguish between Trump, his team, and the American people. Trump's team - they have their own philosophy. They think Putin is a good guy, and, well, you know, they are both 'good guys'," she explained sarcastically. "Everyone I know was completely outraged by yesterday's conversation." Friday's meeting was the culmination of weeks of pressure by the Trump administration to force Ukraine to surrender control over its natural resources. Over the last month, Trump began publicly calling for repayment for military assistance provided to Ukraine under the Biden administration, alternately demanding $500 billion or half of Ukraine's mineral wealth. The $500 billion figure is hundreds of billions of dollars more than what the U.S. government itself has tallied as the total amount allocated for aid to Ukraine. According to the government's own interagency oversight group, Congress has allocated $183 billion for Ukraine since the 2022 invasion. Of this, $65.9 billion worth of military assistance was transferred to Ukraine, while $58 billion was actually spent domestically on U.S. defense contracts. The deal Zelensky was expected to sign Friday contained no explicit security guarantees from the United States should Russia choose to break a hypothetical ceasefire - a primary concern for the Ukrainian government and a population that has endured extreme violence at the hands of Russian invaders in places l...

Byline Times is an independent, reader-funded investigative newspaper, outside of the system of the established press, reporting on 'what the papers don't say' - without fear or favour. To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis. Help us build the better media Britain deserves Do you think Russia is escalating attacks near Kherson ahead of possible peace negotiations? There is no large-scale Russian troop buildup for a full crossing and offensive. The Russian command knows that increasing their numbers would trigger Ukrainian countermeasures. Yet, Russian offensives have intensified in the Kherson region since the US presidential election. Intercepted Russian military conversations reveal they are being ordered to advance on the right, Ukrainian-controlled bank, despite heavy refusals, as the mission is seen as suicidal. Yet many still go and die. Russia relies on sending waves of troops, many of whom are killed daily - 15 were eliminated in such attacks yesterday. Every day, heavily armed Russian forces, mostly arriving by boat, storm islands in the Dnipro, trying to secure positions on the right bank. When retrieving Russian bodies, our military observes a mix of new recruits and long-serving soldiers. Young draftees in brand-new uniforms are killed alongside veterans with over two years of service. Special forces and marines are also present. While their equipment varies, their objective is the same: establish a foothold by the end of the month. I saw a video taken near the Antonivs'kyy Bridge: Russian soldiers walk as a mortar shell lands a meter away. One keeps moving like a zombie. There are the dead and wounded all around. He keeps walking. Until another strike kills him. This could be the effect of psychotropic drugs. This has been ongoing for a long time, and we expect it to peak by late March. I believe that the Russian military command is setting the task precisely to have a more advantageous position during the negotiations. Russia's Constitution claims the Kherson region as part of the Russian Federation. The Kremlin seek to establish a presence to legitimise this claim - but that will not happen. What tactics is Ukraine using to detect and eliminate Russian incursions? Warfare has changed across the front in the Kharkiv region, in the Donetsk region, and here, in the Kherson region. Large tank columns are no longer used. Instead, small units operate with UAVs, artillery, armored vehicles, and airstrike support. These groups attempt to secure positions with reinforcements from others. You have mentioned Russian FPV drones striking Ukrainian positions. Kherson also became known as a stage for horrifying "human safari" with drones chasing and attacking civilians. Can you give some statistics? Drone attacks on civilians surged in August 2024. Drones target public transport, cyclists, civilian cars, and people at bus stops or stores. Over the past year, 23 ambulances and 140 police cars have been destroyed in such attacks. By March 2025, the Kherson region alone had seen an estimated 16,000 drone strikes, killing 85 residents and injuring 880, including 11 children. In total, Russian aggression has killed 770 Khersonians and wounded 4,300. ENJOYING THIS ARTICLE? HELP US TO PRODUCE MORE Receive the monthly Byline Times newspaper and help to support fearless, independent journalism that breaks stories, shapes the agenda and holds power to account. PAY ANNUALLY - £39.50 A YEAR PAY MONTHLY - £3.75 A MONTH MORE OPTIONS We're not funded by a billionaire oligarch or an offshore hedge-fund. We rely on our readers to fund our journalism. If you like what we do, please subscribe. What countermeasures have been implemented against drones? To protect the region, we implemented a groundbreaking defense system - unlike anything before. For the first time in history, a city is surrounded by a radio-electronic barrier. We call it a dome, but it...

Byline Times is an independent, reader-funded investigative newspaper, outside of the system of the established press, reporting on 'what the papers don't say' - without fear or favour. To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis. Help us build the better media Britain deserves The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has spent at least £32 million on technology from the controversial US autonomous weapons firm Anduril, new Freedom of Information (FOI) disclosures obtained by Byline Times reveal. The contracts, signed since 2021, include a previously undisclosed £6.7 million deal for Anduril's 'Ghost Drones' - near-silent mini-helicopters designed for surveillance and targeting. The MOD has previously acknowledged it has "held contracts" with Anduril since at least 2020, but this as-yet-unreported-on spending sheds fresh light on the UK's growing investment in American AI-driven military systems. The £32 million figure alo includes previously disclosed contracts such as Project CHARYBDIS, a programme designed to develop uncrewed surveillance technologies for detecting underwater threats. Under this initiative, Anduril is working alongside defence giants BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, and Israeli military technology firm Elbit Systems. The MOD has also awarded Anduril a £3.8 million contract, codenamed 'Talos,' to develop an AI-assisted base defence system. This network of advanced sensors is designed to detect, track, and classify potential threats with greater speed and accuracy. The most recently disclosed contract, Project Entrelazar, marks the third phase of the Talos programme and is set to run until 2026. According to FOI disclosures, spending on the project has already reached £3.6 million, with total costs expected to rise to as much as £25.3 million. The MOD, however, refused to confirm or deny whether it holds additional active contracts with Anduril, citing national security concerns. Anduril's AI-powered Lattice system, which underpins Project Talos, was previously deployed by the first Trump administration to reinforce sections of the US-Mexico border wall. Its network of 360-degree surveillance towers, capable of detecting and tracking "objects of interest" around the clock, was used to assist US Border Patrol agents in identifying and detaining migrants. The programme continued under the Biden administration. In the UK, Anduril's AI-powered products were used by the Home Office, under Rishi Sunak's government, to track small boat crossings as part of his government's "Stop the Boats" strategy. In December 2024, investigative outlet The Ferret reported that Edinburgh-based investment firm Baillie Gifford was one of a group of investors which brought in £1.2bn for the company, who pledged to use the cash injection to "hyperscale" its manufacturing of "tens of thousands of autonomous weapons systems". EXCLUSIVE Trump's War on 'Woke' and DEI: Incubated by a Nazi Eugenics Foundation Mainstream American conservative icons Christopher Rufo, Peter Boghossian, and Richard Hanania - who inspired Trump's assault on diversity - were bankrolled by the funder of a Nazi eugenics foundation Nafeez Ahmed From Border Walls to Britain's Defence Founded in 2017 with backing from Republican donor and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, Anduril has positioned itself as a disruptive force in military technology. Led by libertarian entrepreneur Palmer Luckey - best known for creating the Oculus VR headset - the company secured $1.5 billion in new investment last year, including from Thiel's Founders Fund, a key entity in Anduril's origin story. After selling Oculus to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014, Luckey attended a retreat on Sonora Island in British Columbia, hosted by the Fund, where he met Trae Stephens, then a Palantir employee. Following the meet, Thiel convinced Stephens to leave Palantir and join Founders Fund, focusing on venture-backed investments ta...

Byline Times is an independent, reader-funded investigative newspaper, outside of the system of the established press, reporting on 'what the papers don't say' - without fear or favour. To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis. Help us build the better media Britain deserves Members of Parliament are being allowed to hide glaring conflicts of interests through a swathe of loopholes that allow potential corruption to slip under the radar, according to a new report. Analysis by the non-profit group mySociety as part of a new "WhoFundsThem" project has found that the current system for registering financial and corporate conflicts through the Register of Members' Financial Interests is riddled with gaps that could allow wrongdoing to go undetected. The current rules are, they argue, primarily designed to defend the integrity of House of Commons proceedings, focusing on requiring MPs to declare financial interests during parliamentary activities. But an MP could put in questions about a company - and then later receive nearly £1,500 from the firm, plus £395 in gifts - and never have to declare a penny. The threshold is far higher than that which applies to councilors and civil servants. For example, the Civil Service Code states that Britain's half a million civil servants must not accept gifts or hospitality from anyone which "might reasonably be seen to compromise their personal judgement or integrity." And staff in the Government's Planning Inspectorate are told: "All gifts, other than items such as diaries, calendars or other small items of modest value bearing a company's name or insignia, must be reported, in writing, to the Risk, Fraud and Business Continuity team." ENJOYING THIS ARTICLE? HELP US TO PRODUCE MORE Receive the monthly Byline Times newspaper and help to support fearless, independent journalism that breaks stories, shapes the agenda and holds power to account. PAY ANNUALLY - £39.50 A YEAR PAY MONTHLY - £3.75 A MONTH MORE OPTIONS We're not funded by a billionaire oligarch or an offshore hedge-fund. We rely on our readers to fund our journalism. If you like what we do, please subscribe. MPs could also, hypothetically, raise issues boosting a corporation's share price or blasting its competitors in Parliament, while holding £69,000 in shares in the company - and again not have to declare it, provided they weren't an office holder or director in the firm. The authors of the WhoFundsThem report find that the official register has significant gaps, not accounting for conflicts of interest that could allow MPs to trade stocks and shares based on market-sensitive information, or profit from their knowledge of upcoming legislation. And unlike in the US, lawyers who become MPs can continue serving clients who may stand to benefit from parliamentary intelligence or changes in laws. Lawyer MPs do not even have to declare who their clients are. The authors note that data quality in the register is extremely poor, with inconsistent formatting, lack of standardisation, and inadequate descriptions making analysis highly challenging for researchers and journalists. Worryingly, the research identified that MPs are inconsistently declaring interests in parliamentary questions and debates, despite rules requiring them to do so. MPs often say simply "I refer to my entry in the Register of Interests" when speaking about a topic they are conflicted on, despite the code of conduct appearing to be clear that they must be specific about which conflict of interest they are referring to. Don't miss a story SIGN UP TO EMAIL UPDATES And when checking Companies House records against MP declarations, they found 37 entries that should have been declared on the official register but weren't, though some MPs acknowledged the oversight when notified. The authors have chosen not to name the rule-breaking MPs. Recommendations include significantly lowering d...