Brexit Portal

A Guide to Brexit Lobbying

This portal is part of Powerbase—your guide to networks of power, lobbying and deceptive PR. Powerbase has a policy of strict referencing and is overseen by a managing editor.

Part of the Powerbase Brexit Portal. Why focus on Brexit lobbying? On 23 June 2016, the British people voted to leave the EU. The danger is that the country will have ‘taken back control’ only to hand it over to corporate lobbyists who see Brexit as 'a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' to influence the way the UK is run. Whether that is getting rid of laws and regulations inherited from Europe, including labour standards and environmental regulations, reshaping UK agriculture, or influencing trade policy. Any company or sector that can swing the rules in their favour stands to profit enormously. So, while the threats to business from Brexit are enormous, so too are the opportunities to profit. We think the British people should be able to see who is lobbying around Brexit and seeking to use it to further their own private interests. This portal aims to make visible some of the players involved: the donors, lobby groups and think tanks, as well as companies and their lobbyists-for-hire.

Who is lobbying over Brexit? CLICK FOR THE FULL LIST OF BREXIT LOBBYISTS (so far!). They include the following: Leave lobby groups Legatum Institute Economists for Free Trade Institute for Free Trade Red Tape Initiative Lobbyists-for-hire Teneo Blue Rubicon Portland PR Media Intelligence Partners Squire Patton Boggs Covington & Burling LLP 'Leave' donors Top 20 Brexit donors (NB this is a work in progress) Arron Banks Peter Hargreaves Jeremy Hosking 'Leave' lobbyists Matthew Elliott Michael Gove Steve Baker MP Alex Deane

Brexit lobbying Brexit lobbying by farming and fishing interests; few industries will be affected as much by Brexit. Here we look at some of the organisations petitioning government, their hired lobbyists, political connections and positioning. Brexit, law firms and political hires; big law firms are busy creating Brexit teams to advise companies and are buying the insider knowledge of ex-politicians and officials to help. Brexit lobbying articles from the web Adam Ramsay, Big Agriculture’s Brexiteers are pulling the wool over our eyes, Open Democracy, 12 February Labour accuse Tory Brexit chief David Davis of offering 'privileged access' to Tory donors, Mirror, 22 January 2018 Big Business Brexit: Corporate interests still dominate Brexit and trade lobbying, Corporate Europe Observatory, 13 December 2017 Big Business Britain II, Corporate Europe Observatory, 24 August 2017 Big Business Britain: How corporate lobbyists are dominating meetings with trade ministers, Corporate Europe Observatory, 24 July 2017 Brexit bonanza: Lawyers encouraging corporations to sue UK & EU member states, Corporate Europe Observatory, 25 September 2017 Guy Shrubsole, Meet the think tank shaping the future of Britain's food and countryside, Open Democracy, 29 November 2017 Sarah Clarke, If you think the trade bill won’t affect you, think again, Unlock Democracy, 7 Nov 2017 Sarah Clarke, Brexit bartering behind closed doors: who gets a say in shaping the future of the UK?, Unlock Democracy, 27 Oct 2017 Alice Ross, Supermarkets and drink giants lobbying against recycling rules, letters reveal, Unearthed, 6 November 2017 Tamasin Cave, Corbyn, Labour and public opinion can break down the secret world of lobbying, Labour List, 18 October 2017 Tamasin Cave, Lobbying looms over Theresa May’s government. She must tackle it now, Guardian, 25 August 2016

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