Foresight Communications

This article is part of the Foodspin project of Spinwatch.

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Foresight Communications is a London-based lobbying firm.

Foresight's office in London's Theatre-land

Political connections

For a small boutique agency, Foresight has numerous connections with the world of politics.

• Mark Adams. Foresight is run by Mark Adams OBE, who was a private secretary for parliamentary affairs at No. 10 for nearly four years. He also worked as private secretary to Tony Blair for six months after the 1997 election.

Other members of Foresight's team include:

• Patrick Nicholls, who was the Tory MP for Teignmouth for nearly a decade
• Sarah Pearce, who worked in the Private Office of the Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP
• Chris Savage, who was head of industrial policy in the Economic Department of the Trades Union Congress where he worked closely with Labour Ministers and advisers.
• James Gray, formerly of Transport for London where he worked on policy analysis and strategic development within the Procurement function.

Employing ministers

• Ivor Caplin, a former defence minister, also works for Foresight.

The Sunday Times reported in June 2006:

"A former defence minister has been criticised by a Whitehall vetting committee for accepting a job as a defence industry lobbyist without seeking official permission. Ivor Caplin, who stood down at the last election, has taken lobbying jobs with two companies — Foresight Communications and MBDA Missile Systems — in breach of the ministerial code.

Foresight, run by Mark Adams, Tony Blair’s former private secretary, represents the £20 billion Eurofighter jet project and MBDA is an American missile company.

Former ministers are expected to inform Whitehall’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments before accepting such employment offers. Section 5.29 of the ministerial code states: “On leaving office, ministers should seek advice from the . . . committee . . . about any appointments they wish to take up within two years of leaving office.”

The committee has criticised Caplin for accepting the appointments without seeking its advice... The committee, which was set up by John Major, the former Tory prime minister, and is now chaired by Lord Mayhew, has now demanded that Caplin does not “become personally involved in lobbying ministers or officials for 12 months”.

Former staff

• Jenny Ungless, the ex-Chief of Staff to Iain Duncan Smith

Launching front groups

In 2001, Foresight helped launch the corporate front group the Scientific Alliance with Robert Durward. The original contact for the Alliance is Robert Durward who is also the director of Foresight client the British Aggregates Association (BAA).

Foresight's other clients include the New Party for Britain (also known as the People's Alliance). The New Party is so right-wing that the Tory leader in Scotland, where it operates, called it 'fascist and undemocratic'. Like the Scientific Alliance, this 'People's Alliance' was established by Durward and Adams.

Scientific Alliance

The Scientific Alliance is anti-environmental, anti-organic and pro-GM. It is also pro-nuclear and dismisses manmade climate change.

It runs conferences along with other corporate front groups. In November 2002 it organised a conference on GM called Fields of the Future. The conference chairman was Lord Dick Taverne of the front organisation Sense about Science, and Tracey Brown of Sense about Science helped to find speakers for the event. This is yet another corporate front organisation.

Pro nuclear activities

Foresight counts the Nuclear Industry Association as a client. And at the 2004 Labour Party Conference the Scientific Alliance held a pro-nuclear meeting with the Nuclear Industry Association.

Advisory board

The Scientific Alliance's Advisory Board includes:

• pro-biotech scientists such as Anthony Trewavas
• ex-living Marxists Bill Durodie of King's College London
• Martin Livermore, Independent Science Communications Advisor and ex-Du Pont. He is also a Fellow of the International Policy Network.
• Professor Vivian Moses, head of pro-biotech organisation Cropgen (Cropgen's lobbying firm is Lexington Communications).
• Professor Michael Wilson, Horticulture Research International - advisor to Lord Sainsbury's company Diatech.

Both Wilson and Moses are part of Sense About Science

• and one of the world's leading climate sceptics - Sallie Baliunas. Baliunas is a George C Marshall Institute Senior Scientist, but also has been or is associated with Global Climate Coalition, the right-wing Hoover Institution, ESEF, Annapolis Center, and the American Enterprise Institute. Also the Wise Use group the Committee for A Constructive Tomorrow and Tech Central Station.

Clients

Lobbying clients of Foresight listed in 2009: BT | CSC | EADS | Elliott Advisors | Healthcare 360 | IIDC | Macquarie Airports | Nuclear Industry Association | Parsons Brinckerhoff | Spirit Aerosystems | Stringfellow Restaurants | Summerleaze | World Economy and Finance Programme | Zed Homes.

Previous clients

Past clients include: Association of British Insurers | Beatbullying | British Aggregates Association | Business Services Association | Cheetah Medical Inc | Citizen Communication | East England Arts | EcoGen Developments | EDS | Elmo-Tech | Energis | Lufthansa Technik | New Party for Britain / People's Alliance | Nord Anglia | Perfiliate Technologies | Scientific Alliance | Sodexho | Summerleaze | Thames Water | Unimatic Engineers | EADS

Contacts

130 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 5 EU
http://www.foresight-consulting.co.uk

External Resources

• Foresight Communications UK Staff and clients 30.11.03-31.05.04
• Foresight Communications UK Staff and clients 01.06.05-30.11.05
• Foresight Communications UK Staff and clients, 1 June 2005 to 30 Nov 2005
• Foresight Communications UK Staff and clients, Sep 2007 to Nov 2007
• Sourcewatch entry Foresight Communications