Prima Europe
In the late 1980s Dick Taverne and Roger Liddle founded the consultancy firm Prima Europe. In 1990 Prima published The case for Biotechnology, a paper authored by Taverne. Liddle and Taverne were joined on Prima's board in 1996 by Derek Draper. Prima's clients included Unilever, RTZ, BNFL, and Glaxo Wellcome.
In April 1998 Lord Taverne resigned from Prima, as a result of lobby-firm rules prohibiting employment of sitting MPs and peers, after its merger with GPC Market Access. GPC's clients included Pfizer, Novartis and SmithKline Beecham. Three months after Taverne's departure his former Prima co-directors Derek Draper and Roger Liddle were at the centre of the 'lobbygate' 'cash for access' scandal.[1]
Among other clients Prima worked for the tobacco industry, preparing a report in 1992, on the UK government and tobacco advdertising. [2] The report suggested that 'UK representation to the EC worked to help defeat the advertising ban within the Council of Ministers'.[3]
Notes
- ↑ UK Politics Fresh questions in lobbyist row BBC Online, Saturday, July 11, 1998 Published at 08:06 GMT 09:06 UK
- ↑ PRIMA Europe, The UK government and tobacco advertising situation report. November, 1992. Bates range 2500053555/3560 (http://www.pmdocs.com/PDF/2500053555_3560_0.PDF).
- ↑ Tobacco industry strategies for influencing European Community tobacco advertising legislation Mark Neuman BAa, Asaf Bitton BAa and DrStanton Glantz PhDa, The Lancet, Volume 359, Issue 9314, 13 April 2002, Pages 1323-1330, Available online 15 April 2002.
