Our letter to the Prime Minster: Now is a crucial moment for critical progress on illicit finance.
12th September 2025
The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP
Prime Minister
Dear Prime Minister,
Now is a crucial moment for critical progress on illicit finance.
£100 billion is laundered through the UK annually, undermining economic stability, border security, and national resilience – your three core priorities. The UK’s role as a reputable and credible international financial centre is undermined when dirty money flows through it and organised crime exploits the vulnerabilities in our economy.
Under David Lammy's leadership, the Foreign Office built unprecedented momentum toward your manifesto commitment to work with allies to tackle corruption and money laundering. The planned UK Summit on Countering Illicit Finance has broad cross-sector support and international partners have aligned their plans with UK leadership.
The opportunity: Mr Lammy's elevation to Deputy PM provides a unique opportunity for cross-government political leadership on illicit finance. This is exactly what is needed, working closely with the Foreign Secretary, to make the Summit a success.
Our ask: For government to publicly recommit to the Summit as a matter of priority.
The groundwork is complete, the international community is watching, and swift action will cement the UK’s global leadership on this vital issue.
Yours sincerely,
Adrian Lovett, Executive Director, United Kingdom, Middle East & Asia Pacific, ONE
Aidan Larkin, Co-Founder, AssetReality
Alex Jacobs, Executive Director, Joffe Charitable Trust
Alyona Vandysheva, General Director of Transparency International Russia (in exile)
Blair Glencorse, Chief Executive, Accountability Lab
Dan Haberly, Associate Professor, University of Sussex
David Lewis, former Executive Head of the Financial Action Task Force
Daniel Bruce, Chief Executive, Transparency International UK
David Szakonyi and Michael Hornsby, Co-Directors, Anti-Corruption Data Collective
Dawn Alford, Chief Executive, Society of Editors
Elizabeth David-Barrett, Director, Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex
Elspeth Berry, Associate Professor, Nottingham Law School, and founder of the Partnership, LLP and LLC Law Academic Forum
Gary Kalman, Executive Director, Transparency International U.S.
Gavin Hayman, Executive Director of the Open Contracting Partnership and Co-Chair of the UK Anti Corruption Coalition
Iain Armstrong, Global Regulatory Affairs Practice Lead, ComplyAdvantage
Ian Gary, Executive Director, FACT Coalition
James Mather, Barrister, Searle Court Chambers
Jamie Drummond, Founder, Sharing Strategies and Co-Founder, ONE Campaign
John Heathershaw, University of Exeter, Principal Investigator, ACE Project
Jonathan Draper, Director of Fraud Solutions, FNA
Maíra Martini, CEO, Transparency International
Mike Haley, Chief Executive, CIFAS
Nate Sibley, Fellow and Director, Kleptocracy Initiative, Hudson Institute
Professor Nic Ryder, Cardiff University
Nick Lewis OBE, Standard Chartered Bank
Dr Nikhil Kalyanpur, London School of Economics
Nina Cresswell, member of UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition
Paul Maassen, Chief of Global Programs, Open Government Partnership
Phil Mason, Independent Expert on Anti Corruption
Professor Ricardo Soares de Oliveira, Sciences Po and University of Oxford
Sara Carnegie, Barrister
Sheila Masinde, Executive Director, Transparency International Kenya
Susan Coughtrie, Executive Director, Foreign Policy Centre, and Co-Chair, UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition
Susan Hawley, Executive Director, Spotlight on Corruption and Co-Chair of the UK Anti Corruption Coalition
Thomas Mayne, University of Exeter and former Visiting Fellow, Chatham House
Thom Townsend, Executive Director, Open Ownership
Tom Cardamone, President & CEO, Global Financial Integrity
Tom Keatinge, Director, Centre for Finance and Security at RUSI