A year after revealing that the official leave campaign broke electoral law, whistleblower Shahmir Sanni and Guardian and Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr assess the impact of the story. Plus Dawn Foster on the Newport West byelection

In 2018, Shahmir Sanni alleged to the Observer that Vote Leave had broken electoral law by purporting to donate £625,000 to a youth group, BeLeave, but instead funnelled it directly to its data and ad-targeting firm AggregateIQ.

Once the story broke, Vote Leave issued strong and persistent denials that continued even after the Electoral Commission found substantial evidence that the two groups had worked to a common plan, had not declared their joint working and had not adhered to the legal spending limits. Last week, Vote Leave dropped its appeal against a £61,000 fine for electoral offences, citing financial reasons.

Carole Cadwalladr, the journalist who broke the story, and Sanni join Anushka Asthana to discuss the impact the story had on Sanni’s life, including the fact Sanni’s sexuality was made public during the whistleblowing, something Sanni had not yet shared with his family.

Plus: Dawn Foster, who grew up in Newport West, reflects on the byelection that takes place on Thursday, to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Labour MP Paul Flynn in February.

