TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ALLOCATES $12M TO UK CONSERVATIVE-FOUNDED GROUPS

Donald Trump's state department intends to allocate $12m to organisations in the United Kingdom founded by prominent Conservatives Jacob Rees-Mogg and Toby Young, according to US government documents reviewed by the Guardian. The grants form part of a broader package of support for European groups viewed favourably by the Trump administration. Former US officials have criticised the funding as a misuse of public money intended to influence foreign politics.

The state department has allocated $7m to 878, described in the documents as a "leading British and American think tank" focused on "the rediscovery of our ancient culture" and "ending mass immigration". Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former minister of state for Brexit opportunities, is listed as a founding director alongside Dr Radomir Tylecote, a former special adviser to Rees-Mogg. The organisation was incorporated in the UK in March 2024, with its website launching in early July. The second grant of $5m is designated for Free Speech Union International, an offshoot of the Free Speech Union founded by Conservative life peer Toby Young, which the state department notes promotes "free speech and countering digital overregulation across the UK, Europe, and Australia".

The state department justified the 878 grant by citing the group's "unique role in the United Kingdom as a dedicated nonpartisan organisation focused on advancing fundamental freedoms". Free Speech Union International operates as an umbrella organisation for international sibling groups with similar objectives. The grants represent the first detailed public disclosure of the intended allocations, which were previously documented only in internal US government papers.