Elizabeth Symons - Revision history

Josh Leeson at 14:27, 6 November 2014

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Josh Leeson at 17:39, 4 November 2014

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Josh Leeson at 16:13, 4 November 2014

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Josh Leeson at 08:51, 14 October 2014

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Josh Leeson at 08:43, 14 October 2014

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Melissa Jones at 01:43, 14 October 2014

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Melissa Jones: /* Affiliations */

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Affiliations

Melissa Jones: /* Background */

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Background

Melissa Jones at 01:39, 14 October 2014

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Melissa Jones at 01:38, 14 October 2014

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 *[[P&O]] <ref name="MP"/>
 *[[D Group]]
-*[[Standard Chartered]], international adviser on the Middle East, appointed in October 2006<ref> [http://acoba.independent.gov.uk/media/acoba/assets/acobaninthreport2006_08.pdf The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Ninth Report 2006-2008] ''Advisory Committee on Business Appointments'', accessed 4 November 2014 </ref>
+*[[Standard Chartered]], international adviser on the Middle East, appointed in October 2006.<ref> [http://acoba.independent.gov.uk/media/acoba/assets/acobaninthreport2006_08.pdf The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Ninth Report 2006-2008] ''Advisory Committee on Business Appointments'', accessed 4 November 2014 </ref> Approved by [[ACOBA]] who said, "take up [the role] forthwith"<ref name="ACOBA"> [http://acoba.independent.gov.uk/media/acoba/assets/acobaninthreport2006_08.pdf The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Ninth Report 2006-2008] ''Advisory Committee on Business Appointments'', accessed 6 November 2014 </ref>
 ==Resources==

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 *[[P&O]] <ref name="MP"/>
 *[[D Group]]
-*[[Standard Chartered]], international adviser, appointed in October 2006<ref> [http://acoba.independent.gov.uk/media/acoba/assets/acobaninthreport2006_08.pdf The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Ninth Report 2006-2008] ''Advisory Committee on Business Appointments'', accessed 4 November 2014 </ref>
+*[[Standard Chartered]], international adviser on the Middle East, appointed in October 2006<ref> [http://acoba.independent.gov.uk/media/acoba/assets/acobaninthreport2006_08.pdf The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Ninth Report 2006-2008] ''Advisory Committee on Business Appointments'', accessed 4 November 2014 </ref>
 ==Resources==

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 *[[P&O]] <ref name="MP"/>
 *[[D Group]]
 ==Resources==

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:51, 14 October 2014
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−	''' Baroness Elizabeth Symons''' (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean) (born 14 April 1951) is a British [[Labour Party\|Labour]] politician and former minister, who was created a life peer in 1996, and is now a senior figure in the [[House of Lords]].	+	[[File:Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean Women in Business Conference in London, 25 June 2013.jpg\|right\|\|thumb\|200px\|Elizabeth Symons, Women in Business Conference in London, 25 June 2013]]''' Baroness Elizabeth Symons''' (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean) (born 14 April 1951) is a British [[Labour Party\|Labour]] politician and former minister, who was created a life peer in 1996, and is now a senior figure in the [[House of Lords]].

	She is a paid senior adviser to heavyweight lobbying law firm [[DLA Piper]] and construction company [[CCC Group]], [[Blenheim Capital]] and [[Protection Group International]]. <ref name="Symons"> [http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/baroness-symons-of-vernham-dean/2233 Baroness Symons], undated, accessed 14 October 2014 </ref>		She is a paid senior adviser to heavyweight lobbying law firm [[DLA Piper]] and construction company [[CCC Group]], [[Blenheim Capital]] and [[Protection Group International]]. <ref name="Symons"> [http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/baroness-symons-of-vernham-dean/2233 Baroness Symons], undated, accessed 14 October 2014 </ref>

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 ''' Baroness Elizabeth Symons''' (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean) (born 14 April 1951) is a British [[Labour Party|Labour]] politician and former minister, who was created a life peer in 1996, and is now a senior figure in the [[House of Lords]].
-She is a paid senior adviser to heavyweight lobbying law firm [[DLA Piper]] and construction company [[CCC Group]], [[Blenheim Capital]] and [[Protection Group International]]. <ref name="Symons"> [http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/baroness-symons-of-vernham-dean/2233 Baroness Symons], undated accessed 14 October 2014 </ref>
+She is a paid senior adviser to heavyweight lobbying law firm [[DLA Piper]] and construction company [[CCC Group]], [[Blenheim Capital]] and [[Protection Group International]]. <ref name="Symons"> [http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/baroness-symons-of-vernham-dean/2233 Baroness Symons], undated, accessed 14 October 2014 </ref>
 ==Background==
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 ===Overseas trips===
 *Visit to Azerbaijan, 24-26 April 2014, as Chairman of [[British Azerbaijan Business Council]]; costs of visit met by [[Azerbaijan Business Council]]<ref name="Symons"/>
 ==Affiliations==

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:43, 14 October 2014
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	[[Category:UK Ministers\|Symons, Elizabeth]]		[[Category:UK Ministers\|Symons, Elizabeth]]
	[[Category:Revolving Door\|Symons, Elizabeth]]		[[Category:Revolving Door\|Symons, Elizabeth]]
		+	[[Category:UK Revolving Door\|Symons, Elizabeth]]

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 Symons began her career in the civil service, before becoming a trade union official in 1977 for the [[First Division Association]] (FDA) union which represented civil servants including influential positions in Whitehall such as policy advisors and diplomats; and then a labour minister. Until her resignation in 2005, Elizabeth Symons worked in the [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]], ministry of defense, worked in the department of trade and industry, was minister of state sor the middle east and finally, deputy leader of the house of Lords.<ref>Business Week, [http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=24596963&capId=256565&previousCapId=256565&previousTitle=British%20Airways%20Plc EXECUTIVE PROFILE Elizabeth Conway Symons], accessed 28 November 2008.</ref>
-Her role in the Foreign Office was to represent the government in the House of Lords, doing so at a time when a British company, [[Sandline International]], was being accused of supplying weapons to Sierra Leone in return for diamonds; something which U.N legislation had made illegal. Baroness Symons was accused of having knowledge of the transaction, something that the Liberal Democrats leader in the House of Lords questioned her on record about in 1998, but she denied the suggestion claiming that there was no evidence.<ref>Sierra Leone, [http://www.sierra-leone.org/Archives/slnews0698.html Sierra Leone News, June 1998], accessed 28 November 2008.</ref>
+Her role in the Foreign Office was to represent the government in the House of Lords, doing so at a time when a British company, [[Sandline International]], was being accused of supplying weapons to Sierra Leone in return for diamonds; something which U.N legislation had made illegal. Baroness Symons was accused of having knowledge of the transaction -  the [[Liberal Democrats]] leader in the House of Lords questioned her on record about this in 1998, but she denied the suggestion, claiming that there was no evidence.<ref>Sierra Leone, [http://www.sierra-leone.org/Archives/slnews0698.html Sierra Leone News, June 1998], accessed 28 November 2008.</ref>
-Symons, whilst in her position of minister for procurement for the Ministry of Defence in 2001, began the process of privatising the [[Defence Evaluation and Research Agency]], which it had just changed into a government run company, with the exception of the sensitive [[Defence Science and Technology Laboratory]].<ref>Arnold, James, "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1957320.stm Qinetiq's new battle]," 30 April 2002, accessed 28 November 2008.</ref>
+Symons, whilst minister for procurement for the [[Ministry of Defence]] in 2001, began the process of privatising the [[Defence Evaluation and Research Agency]], which it had just changed into a government run company, with the exception of the sensitive [[Defence Science and Technology Laboratory]].<ref>Arnold, James, "[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1957320.stm Qinetiq's new battle]," 30 April 2002, accessed 28 November 2008.</ref>
 Symons' husband, [[Philip Bassett]], was an aide to [[Tony Blair]] and served as head of the [[Strategic Communications Unit]] in Downing Street.<ref>Grice, Andrew, "[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010412/ai_n14381205 Campbell to quit as spin-master after the election]," 12 April 2001, accessed 28 November 2008.</ref> Prior to this, he was employed as labour editor for [[Rupert Murdoch]] at his Times newspaper.<ref>Easton, Tom, "[http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/online/issue33/lob33-02.htm The British American Project for the Successor Generation]," ''Lobster Magazine'', Issue 33, Summer 1997 (sub req'd), accessed 28 November 2008.</ref>
-Alastair Campbell, whilst being questioned at the Hutton inquiry, claimed that when the Iraq War dossier regarding WMD was published, Phil Basset had been working under him as a 'senior special advisor'.<ref>''Guardian'', [http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Politics/documents/2003/08/20/August19AM.pdf Tuesday August 19 2003, evidence from Alastair Campbell, Prime Minister’s Office], 19 August 2003, accessed 28 November 2008.</ref>
+[[Alastair Campbell]], during questioning at the [[Hutton Inquiry]], claimed that when the Iraq War dossier regarding WMD was published, Phil Basset had been working under him as a 'senior special advisor'.<ref>''Guardian'', [http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Politics/documents/2003/08/20/August19AM.pdf Tuesday August 19 2003, evidence from Alastair Campbell, Prime Minister’s Office], 19 August 2003, accessed 28 November 2008.</ref>
 It was in this role that Basset helped create the dossier that claimed Saddam Husain was able to prepare and fire W.M.D's within 45 minutes. During this time, Elizabeth Symons was both minister for trade in the [[Department of Trade and Industry]], and also the minister for the Middle-east in the Foreign Office.<ref>Guide to Women Leaders, [http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/United_Kingdom.htm Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership], last update 05 October 2008, accessed 28 November 2008.</ref>
 ==Directorships==