US plans $15m in grants for UK groups tied to Rees-Mogg and Young

The US State Department has outlined plans to award millions of dollars in non-competitive grants to three British organisations linked to prominent conservative figures, including Jacob Rees-Mogg and Toby Young.

According to US government documents, the funding comprises $7 million for 878, a think tank co-founded by Rees-Mogg, and $5 million for Free Speech Union International, an offshoot of a group founded by Young. A further $3 million is earmarked for the Jobs Foundation, a charity led by former Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott. All three allocations are "sole source" grants, meaning they would bypass standard competitive bidding procedures.

The disclosures present an immediate diplomatic test for incoming UK prime minister Andy Burnham, who recently stated he would be "very upfront" with Donald Trump about any disagreements. The funding push extends beyond Britain; earlier this week, German chancellor Friedrich Merz explicitly rejected the prospect of similar American grants targeting Berlin, stating: "I do not want the American government or institutions close to the government to interfere in German elections."

The allocations have drawn sharp criticism from within the US foreign policy establishment. Five former state department officials described a months-long effort by Trump-aligned staff to bypass normal funding channels to direct taxpayer money to aligned causes in Europe. One former official who reviewed the plans called the lack of competitive procedure "outrageous and absurd", while another described it as "horrible stewardship of US taxpayer money."

The state department confirmed the grants are under "active deliberation" and will undergo standard vetting. A congressional notification details how the money, drawn from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, is intended to address "common threats to Western civilisation, such as mass migration, censorship, lawfare and supranational governance."

Recipients have offered measured responses to the pending funds. Young stated that Free Speech Union International had "expressed interest in applying for grant funding from the US State Department" but "has not submitted a formal application and has not been awarded a grant." The Jobs Foundation confirmed it is "under consideration for project funding" and emphasised its cross-party nature. Rees-Mogg and his co-founder Radomir Tylecote did not respond to requests for comment.