Difference between revisions of "Nick Butler"

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[[Image:Butler.jpg|thumb|right|Nick Butler]] Nick Butler was Group Vice President for Policy and Strategy Development at [[BP]] from 2002 to 2006 and is a founder of the [[British American Project]],<ref>Andy Beckett, "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/nov/06/usa.politics1 Friends in high places]", The Guardian, 6 November 2004, accessed October 2008</ref> as well as being well connected in New Labour circles.
 
[[Image:Butler.jpg|thumb|right|Nick Butler]] Nick Butler was Group Vice President for Policy and Strategy Development at [[BP]] from 2002 to 2006 and is a founder of the [[British American Project]],<ref>Andy Beckett, "[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/nov/06/usa.politics1 Friends in high places]", The Guardian, 6 November 2004, accessed October 2008</ref> as well as being well connected in New Labour circles.
  
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==Early Career==
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==BP==
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Butler joined [[BP]] in 1977 after leaving Cambridge where he graduated with an honours degree in economics. He has worked in a series of economics and policy posts in [[BP]] since then and served as Group Policy Adviser from 1995 to 2003.
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Butler joined [[BP]] in 1977 after leaving Cambridge where he graduated with an honours degree in economics.<ref>[http://www.francobritishcouncil.org.uk/members.php?action=view&id=5 Nick Butler], Franco British Council, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref> He worked in a series of economics and policy posts in [[BP]] and served as Group Policy Adviser from 1995 to 2002.<ref>[http://www.franco-british-law.org/pages/ENG/news/documents/Biographies_for_FBLS_colloquium.pdf Chairs’ & Speakers’ Biographies-], CLIMATE CHANGE: THE LEGAL CHALLENGE, FRANCO – BRITISH LAWYERS’ SOCIETY LIMITED, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
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Butler was Chairman of the [[Young Fabians]] in 1979 and later treasurer of the [[Fabian Society]].  In 1982 he was a "member of the research staff" of the [[Royal Institute for International Affairs]] and Chairman of the Streatham [[Labour Party]] and the [[Labour Aid and Development Committee]], according to a biographical note in a pamphlet he wrote for the Young Fabians in 1982.<ref>Nick Butler, "The IMF: Time for Reform", Young Fabian pamphlet, No. 50, January 1982. ISBN 716320509</ref> He went on to become a speech writer for [[Neil Kinnock]]. He was a parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party, standing for Lincoln in the 1992 and 1987 general elections.
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He was Group Vice President for Policy and Strategy Development from 2002 to 2006.<ref>[http://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/research/associates/butlern.html Nick Butler], Cambridge Judge Business School, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref> Butler's departure from BP at the end of 2006 was described by the ''Telegraph'' as a "major setback" for the company's chief executive, [[Lord Browne]].<ref>Katherine Griffiths, [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2948939/Browne-aide-quits-sparking-Blair-talk.html Browne aide quits sparking Blair talk], telegraph.co.uk, 14 October 2006.</ref>
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==Fabians==
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Butler was Chairman of the [[Young Fabians]] in 1979 and later treasurer of the [[Fabian Society]].  In 1982 he was a "member of the research staff" of the [[Royal Institute for International Affairs]] and Chairman of the Streatham [[Labour Party]] and the [[Labour Aid and Development Committee]], according to a biographical note in a pamphlet he wrote for the Young Fabians in 1982.<ref>Nick Butler, "The IMF: Time for Reform", Young Fabian pamphlet, No. 50, January 1982. ISBN 716320509</ref> He went on to become a speech writer for [[Neil Kinnock]]. He was a parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party, standing for Lincoln in the 1992 and 1987 general elections.<ref>[http://www.fabians.org.uk/executive-committee-mainmenu-64/executive-committee/nick-butler Nick Butler], Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
  
 
==British American Project==
 
==British American Project==
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==Other activities==
 
==Other activities==
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Butler is co-Chair with Professor [[Paul Kennedy]] of the [[BP Programme at Yale]] and a member of the Middle East Advisory Board of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]]. He serves as Chairman of the [[Centre for European Reform]] and as secretary of the [[Franco British Colloque]]. He has published books and a number of articles on international economic issues. Butler is married with one daughter.<ref>"[http://www.btglobalservices.com/business/global/en/about_us/wef/2006/popbio_butler.htm Nick J. Butler]", BT website, accessed October 2008</ref>
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In April 2007, Butler was appointed the Director of the [[Centre for Energy Studies]] at Cambridge's Judge Business School.<ref>[http://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/news/press_releases/2007/070420_cces.html Press Release], Cambridge Judge Business School, 20 April 2007.</ref> He is a member of the Advisory Board of the [[School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University]] in Washington DC (where BAP is based).<ref>[http://www.gbf.com/gbf/speakers.asp?ConfNo=1016&SpeakerNo=115 Nick Butler], German-British Forum, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
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More recently Butler has moved to become the Director of the [[Centre for Energy Security & Sustainable Development]] at Cambridge. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the [[Centre for China in the World Economy]] at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the [[School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University]] in Washington DC (where BAP is based). He is Vice President of the Hay Literary Festival and a former member of the Advisory Committee of the [[Bar Association of England and Wales]]. He is also a member of the Faculty of the [[World Economic Forum]].
 
  
 
An article in the Daily Telegraph about Butler's quitting BP in 2006 describes him as “a key conduit between the oil giant and Downing Street”<ref>Katherine Griffiths, "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2948939/Browne-aide-quits-sparking-Blair-talk.html Browne aide quits sparking Blair talk]", 14 October 2006, accessed October 2008</ref>. The article adds that Butler's reputation has become "strained" by “leaks about conflict with BP's chairman, [[Peter Sutherland]]” and that he is “close to [[Jonathan Powell]]”, Tony Blair's then chief of staff. The Times rumoured that he was "used in a plot to oust a sitting MP" so that [[Ed Balls]], the right-hand man of the then chancellor Gordon Brown, "could be assured of the nomination" for a safe Labour seat in Parliament.<ref>"[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1752295.ece 'Plot' hands safe seat to Brownite]", The Times, 6 May 2007, accessed October 2008</ref>
 
An article in the Daily Telegraph about Butler's quitting BP in 2006 describes him as “a key conduit between the oil giant and Downing Street”<ref>Katherine Griffiths, "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2948939/Browne-aide-quits-sparking-Blair-talk.html Browne aide quits sparking Blair talk]", 14 October 2006, accessed October 2008</ref>. The article adds that Butler's reputation has become "strained" by “leaks about conflict with BP's chairman, [[Peter Sutherland]]” and that he is “close to [[Jonathan Powell]]”, Tony Blair's then chief of staff. The Times rumoured that he was "used in a plot to oust a sitting MP" so that [[Ed Balls]], the right-hand man of the then chancellor Gordon Brown, "could be assured of the nomination" for a safe Labour seat in Parliament.<ref>"[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1752295.ece 'Plot' hands safe seat to Brownite]", The Times, 6 May 2007, accessed October 2008</ref>
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==Affiliations==
 
==Affiliations==
 
*[[Centre for European Reform]] Chairman<ref>[http://www.fabians.org.uk/executive-committee-mainmenu-64/executive-committee/nick-butler Nick Butler], Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
 
*[[Centre for European Reform]] Chairman<ref>[http://www.fabians.org.uk/executive-committee-mainmenu-64/executive-committee/nick-butler Nick Butler], Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
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*[[East-West Institute]]
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*[[Cambridge Centre for Energy Studies]] Director<ref>[http://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/news/press_releases/2007/070420_cces.html Press Release], Cambridge Judge Business School, 20 April 2007.</ref>
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*[[US Japan Leadership Programme]]
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*Co-chair with [[Paul Kennedy]] of the BP Programme at Yale.<ref>[http://www.gbf.com/gbf/speakers.asp?ConfNo=1016&SpeakerNo=115 Nick Butler], German-British Forum, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
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*[[World Economic Forum]]
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*[[Franco-British Colloque]] Secretary<ref>[http://www.francobritishcouncil.org.uk/members.php?action=view&id=5 Nick Butler], Franco British Council, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
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*[[Centre for China in the World Economy]], Tsinghua University, Beijing -Executive Committee member<ref>[http://www.ccwe.org.cn/ccweold/en/structure/ExecutiveCommittee.htm Executive Committee], Centre for China in the World Economy, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
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*[[School of Advanced International Studies]], Johns Hopkins University - Advisory board member<ref>[http://www.gbf.com/gbf/speakers.asp?ConfNo=1016&SpeakerNo=115 Nick Butler], German-British Forum, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
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*[[East-West Institute]] Director<ref>[http://www.fabians.org.uk/executive-committee-mainmenu-64/executive-committee/nick-butler Nick Butler], Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
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*[[World Economic Forum]] Faculty member<ref>[http://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/research/associates/butlern.html Nick Butler], Cambridge Judge Business School, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
 
*[[Fabian Society]] - Treasurer<ref>[http://www.fabians.org.uk/executive-committee-mainmenu-64/executive-committee/nick-butler Nick Butler], Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
 
*[[Fabian Society]] - Treasurer<ref>[http://www.fabians.org.uk/executive-committee-mainmenu-64/executive-committee/nick-butler Nick Butler], Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
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*[[Hay Literary Festival]], Vice-President.<ref>[http://www.hayfestival.com/portal/council.aspx?skinid=1&currencysetting=GBP&localesetting=en-GB&resetfilters=true Directors & Council], hayfestival.com, accessed 26 July 2010.</ref>
  
 
===Notes===
 
===Notes===

Revision as of 12:13, 26 July 2010

Nick Butler

Nick Butler was Group Vice President for Policy and Strategy Development at BP from 2002 to 2006 and is a founder of the British American Project,[1] as well as being well connected in New Labour circles.

BP

Butler joined BP in 1977 after leaving Cambridge where he graduated with an honours degree in economics.[2] He worked in a series of economics and policy posts in BP and served as Group Policy Adviser from 1995 to 2002.[3]

He was Group Vice President for Policy and Strategy Development from 2002 to 2006.[4] Butler's departure from BP at the end of 2006 was described by the Telegraph as a "major setback" for the company's chief executive, Lord Browne.[5]

Fabians

Butler was Chairman of the Young Fabians in 1979 and later treasurer of the Fabian Society. In 1982 he was a "member of the research staff" of the Royal Institute for International Affairs and Chairman of the Streatham Labour Party and the Labour Aid and Development Committee, according to a biographical note in a pamphlet he wrote for the Young Fabians in 1982.[6] He went on to become a speech writer for Neil Kinnock. He was a parliamentary candidate for the Labour Party, standing for Lincoln in the 1992 and 1987 general elections.[7]

British American Project

According to Duncan Parrish in the New Statesman,[8] Butler first suggested the British American Project in 1982, when he was a Labour Party insider of the old right and a research fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House).

Along with many others in the US and Britain who viewed the special relationship favourably, he had become concerned about the growing tide of anti-American sentiment, particularly within his own party. This was the time of Greenham Common, CND and the battles over US deployment of cruise missiles in Europe. Vietnam and Watergate were fresh in everyone's memory.[9]

Parrish adds that "Butler's response was to propose a series of conferences, similar in format to the annual get-together of the Anglo-German elite at Konigswinter, developing personal relationships between the participants and broadening understanding. This rapidly gained backing from Chatham House, then from other establishment bodies, such as the Royal United Services Institute and the US embassy in London. But at this stage there seemed little prospect of funding."[10]

It was Sir Charles Villiers, the former chairman of British Steel, who overcame this obstacle by roping in two American anglophile friends of his, Lew van Dusen and Isadore Scott, who were able to secure $460,000 through the Pew Charitable Trusts, the second biggest grant-making body in the US.[11]

Other activities

In April 2007, Butler was appointed the Director of the Centre for Energy Studies at Cambridge's Judge Business School.[12] He is a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC (where BAP is based).[13]

An article in the Daily Telegraph about Butler's quitting BP in 2006 describes him as “a key conduit between the oil giant and Downing Street”[14]. The article adds that Butler's reputation has become "strained" by “leaks about conflict with BP's chairman, Peter Sutherland” and that he is “close to Jonathan Powell”, Tony Blair's then chief of staff. The Times rumoured that he was "used in a plot to oust a sitting MP" so that Ed Balls, the right-hand man of the then chancellor Gordon Brown, "could be assured of the nomination" for a safe Labour seat in Parliament.[15]

The then Prime Minister Gordon Brown listed Butler as one of his special advisers in a parliamentary answer on 16 July 2009.[16]

Affiliations

Notes

  1. ↑ Andy Beckett, "Friends in high places", The Guardian, 6 November 2004, accessed October 2008
  2. ↑ Nick Butler, Franco British Council, accessed 26 July 2010.
  3. ↑ Chairs’ & Speakers’ Biographies-, CLIMATE CHANGE: THE LEGAL CHALLENGE, FRANCO – BRITISH LAWYERS’ SOCIETY LIMITED, accessed 26 July 2010.
  4. ↑ Nick Butler, Cambridge Judge Business School, accessed 26 July 2010.
  5. ↑ Katherine Griffiths, Browne aide quits sparking Blair talk, telegraph.co.uk, 14 October 2006.
  6. ↑ Nick Butler, "The IMF: Time for Reform", Young Fabian pamphlet, No. 50, January 1982. ISBN 716320509
  7. ↑ Nick Butler, Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.
  8. ↑ Duncan Parrish, "Right-wing conspiracy or right-on broker of the special relationship?", 17 May 1999, accessed October 2008. The same article is also available here as of October 2008
  9. ↑ Duncan Parrish, The NS Profile - The British-American project, New Statesman, 17 May 1999. Also available at FindArticles.
  10. ↑ Duncan Parrish, The NS Profile - The British-American project, New Statesman, 17 May 1999. Also available at FindArticles.
  11. ↑ Duncan Parrish, The NS Profile - The British-American project, New Statesman, 17 May 1999. Also available at FindArticles.
  12. ↑ Press Release, Cambridge Judge Business School, 20 April 2007.
  13. ↑ Nick Butler, German-British Forum, accessed 26 July 2010.
  14. ↑ Katherine Griffiths, "Browne aide quits sparking Blair talk", 14 October 2006, accessed October 2008
  15. ↑ "'Plot' hands safe seat to Brownite", The Times, 6 May 2007, accessed October 2008
  16. ↑ Special Advisers, www.parliament.uk, Hansard 16 July 2009.
  17. ↑ Nick Butler, Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.
  18. ↑ Press Release, Cambridge Judge Business School, 20 April 2007.
  19. ↑ Nick Butler, German-British Forum, accessed 26 July 2010.
  20. ↑ Nick Butler, Franco British Council, accessed 26 July 2010.
  21. ↑ Executive Committee, Centre for China in the World Economy, accessed 26 July 2010.
  22. ↑ Nick Butler, German-British Forum, accessed 26 July 2010.
  23. ↑ Nick Butler, Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.
  24. ↑ Nick Butler, Cambridge Judge Business School, accessed 26 July 2010.
  25. ↑ Nick Butler, Fabian Society, accessed 26 July 2010.
  26. ↑ Directors & Council, hayfestival.com, accessed 26 July 2010.
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