Hanbury Strategy

Hanbury Strategy is a Conservative-led lobbying firm set up by ex-David Cameron adviser Ameet Gill and Brexit campaigner and former British Bankers' Association director, Paul Stephenson in September 2016. In June 2017, it hired Lizzie Loudon, former press secretary to the Prime Minister, Theresa May.

According to the firm, it will be providing clients 'quite a lot of Brexit intelligence and Brexit insight'.

Writing in the Sunday Times in Sept 2016, the founders say 'on any given issue there are millions who are open to persuasion and that campaigns are the best way to motivate them and lead change'.

Clients

Secret clients

Hanbury is secretive about its lobbying clients. It is not signed up to the industry transparency registers, or the UK official register of lobbyists. When it was established, it said it could not name clients it had secured, but the founders said they include a tech start-up based nearby in East London, and a political campaign group.

Red Tape Initiative

In May 2017 the Red Tape Initiative commissioned Hanbury to conduct 'in house research' and create a 'series of reports' that will be 'presented to the RTI in order to better inform its own campaign and supplement their own research efforts'.

According to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointment, which 'approved' the commission, 'throughout the research project, Hanbury will not be working with other organisations and any work done with other organisations by the RTI, will be independent of Hanbury.

Two of Hanbury's employees work for the RTI.

Other known clients

Clients known to have hired Hanbury due to the requirement for founder Ameet Gill, a former government adviser, to run the appoints by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

• Barclays Bank, includes work "in relation to how the decision to exit the European Union will potentially impact the business".
• GSK, hired Hanbury to “provide strategic policy advice to members of GSK’s London office in connection with the implications of Brexit”, according to ACOBA letter.
• Linklaters, to provide the law firm with policy advice “in connection with the impact of Brexit on their clients’ businesses”.
• Herbert Smith Freehills, to provide the law firm with policy advice “in connection with the impact of Brexit on their clients’ businesses”.
• Deliveroo, to provide non-Brexit related short-term strategic communcations to the takeaway delivery firm.

People

• Ameet Gill, founder director
• Paul Stephenson, founder director; ex-Vote Leave pr director; former executive director, external affairs, at the British Bankers' Association; ex-SpAd to Andrew Lansley.
• Lizzie Loudon, former press secretary to the Prime Minister, Theresa May.
• Oliver Lewis, also currently Director of Research at the Red Tape Initiative; ex-research director Vote Leave
• Jonathan Suart, ex-comms manager Vote Leave, former adviser at the British Bankers' Association.
• [[Simon Evans - Former Head of Government Affairs and Regulation at Osborne & Partners, a low profile firm that describes itself as "an international strategic advisory firm providing governments, corporations and high profile business and political leaders with discreet strategies designed to enhance their reputation, credibility and profile on a global basis".
• Alex Hackett, also currently listed as a researcher at the Red Tape Initiative.
• Nina Schick, described as a 'Brexit consultant' at Hanbury. Schick was communications director at Open Europe until Sept 2016.

Contact

• website: www.hanburystrategy.com
• Address: Hanbury Strategy, 60-80 Hanbury Street, London, E1 5JL