The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney, and the Crisis of British Democracy

by Paul Holden

Based on Labour Party files, including some never publicly seen before, this explosive investigation lays bare the intrigues, stratagems, and deceits that helped deliver Sir Keir Starmer to Downing Street.

Paul Holden shows how Starmer has been the frontman for a ruthless, right-wing political project headed by Morgan McSweeney, now chief of staff in Number 10 and arguably the most powerful man in Britain.

McSweeney’s clique often employed dirty tricks to undermine the left-wing Labour leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, fuelling a moral panic over antisemitism and establishing front groups that hobbled prominent independent media outlets in the name of fighting ‘misinformation’.

McSweeney then guided Starmer to the Labour leadership on a platform that Starmer, once in office, almost instantly betrayed. Having conquered the party on false pretences, McSweeney and his allies set about purging opponents, marginalising the membership, and dragging party policy to the right.

These machinations were made possible by financial donations that McSweeney did not disclose—a violation of the law that arguably subverted Britain’s democratic system. But was McSweeney’s unlawful failure to report donations a mistake—or was it deliberate?

This is a sordid tale that includes hacked emails, anonymous smears, dodgy dossiers, cynical stitch-ups, and staggering hypocrisy. It traces the Labour Party’s transformation into a censorial, authoritarian machine, and sounds the alarm about the possible corruption of British politics by dark money.

Genres: Politics, Current Affairs

542 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2024

About the author

Paul Holden is an investigative journalist and author with 15 years experience investigating corruption. He was senior researcher on the book and documentarry Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade. His book, The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Labour Together and the Crisis of British Democracy was published by OR Books in November 2025.

Reviews

[Caitlin Hanrahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fraud is a meticulously researched study of Labour’s right-wing filthy campaign to oust members and MPs on the left. It’s a sordid tale with shady characters and dirty tricks that will surely end Keir Starmer’s career just as he and his corrupt crony pals nearly ended Jeremy Corbin’s. Let’s hope.

[Al No · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense and damning. The dead-eyed clique of right-wing soul-vacuums fronting the Nu New Labour project seem to have only one actual policy they aren’t lobbied/paid to believe in: “fuck the peasants and livestock”.

Hopefully, this book’ll give karma a nudge…

#ItWasAStitchUp

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meticulous examination of the Labour right, drawing on leaked emails from inside the Starmer project and insider testimony. It reveals that undeclared funds were used by Labour Together to target left-wing media and Labour members, that right-wingers sabotaged Labour’s 2019 election campaign by withholding funds that might have swung marginal seats, and that pro-Israel pressure groups worked with the Labour right to deliberately conflate pro-Palestine activism with anti-Semitism.

Holden contrasts Labour’s anti-Semitism scandal with a thorough exposure of the party’s anti-Black and anti-Muslim racism (supported by the ignored Forde Report). Why does one racism scandal end a leader’s tenure, while another is barely reported? It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the issue was never racism, but the need to remove a popular left-wing leader. But don’t take my word for it, read the book and weigh the evidence yourself.

[Ben Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times this went HEAVY on the dates and names, etc, which of course is what is needed but also sometimes made it feel like a bit of a beast to get through. That being said, excellent journalism highlighting a number of issues that you really would struggle to find in any mainstream media from the bbc to the guardian. This book really outlines the sinister plans of Starmer to wrestle the Labour Party out of the hands of the left and firmly into the right. A really interesting exploration of the current political landscape.

[Pete Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forensic account of the long con Starmer, McSweeney and their allies perpetrated first on Labour Party members and second on all the rest of us. We all knew in our gut what was happening with the factional weaponisation of antisemitism under Corbyn, followed by the purging of the Labour left and the rest. But here it all is, meticulously laid out and evidenced throughout. Powerful stuff, and .... absolutely infuriating. It'll take me a while to calm down after reading this!