Doner or Donor? MPs Enjoy Both: The British Kebab Awards

At the heart of the Milton Project is a simple mission: to follow the money in British politics. We track patterns of influence, investigate cause and effect, and surface the stories that can so easily get lost in the flood of political data.

So far, we’ve compiled over £8 million in registered interests across the UK’s 650 sitting MPs , from corporate hospitality and campaign contributions to gifts and speaking fees. While transparency is a cornerstone of our democracy, scrutiny is just as essential. Sometimes, a little prying is necessary to ensure accountability is more than just a principle on paper.

To make that scrutiny easier, we’ve developed a new tool called Spotlight an AI-powered feature that automatically flags recurring or potentially notable donations. One such pattern caught our attention: the British Kebab Awards.

In the register of interests, the entry reads:

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Two tickets to the British Kebab Awards 2024, Value £840

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What makes this notable isn’t the value alone, but that at least eight MPs received the exact same gift.

We don’t take issue with the kebabs themselves - who would? But it’s worth reflecting on the nature and intent behind donations like these. While events such as the British Kebab Awards are likely politically harmless, we believe it’s still important to flag unusual or recurring gifts, especially when they come from non-obvious sources or appear across multiple MPs.

As our systems evolve and we begin to integrate influence signals from external datasets such as lobbying records, corporate affiliations, and public sentiment patterns like this become far more revealing. What may initially seem like a light-hearted night out could, in a broader context, contribute to a clearer picture of soft power and access in Westminster.

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