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The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

Sleaze Nation – How to fight Britain’s corruption pandemic

The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive · Jul 8, 2026 · 29:00

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Is Britain really as free of corruption as we think? This year the UK posted its lowest-ever score in a global corruption index. High-level scandals like Peter Mandelson’s Epstein ties and Peter Murrell embezzling from the SNP – and less conspicuous instances of fraud and backhanders – are eating into our self-image as rule-followers. And the man who might be Prime Minister keeps changing his explanation for a £5m gift from a crypto baron. 

Are these isolated political crises, or does the rot in our system run deeper? Professor of anti-corruption practice at the University of Sussex Robert Barrington joins Zing Tsjeng to unpick how corruption manifests in Britain. 

 • Buy Robert's book Corrupted Kingdom: Britain's Disappearing Integrity – And How We Can Get It Back from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.


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Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Episodes: The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

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