Difference between revisions of "Weber Shandwick Public Affairs"

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In a recent post on his blog CEO Byrne said: “Perhaps it is time for lobbyists and politicians to accept the need and benefit of some form of formal registration and a total ban on politicians giving favoured access to political friends in lobbying roles. I think this is how it works in Washington.” <ref> Byrne Baby Byrne, [http://byrnebabybyrne.com/?p=86 "More on Lobbying"] 18 July 2007. </ref>
 
In a recent post on his blog CEO Byrne said: “Perhaps it is time for lobbyists and politicians to accept the need and benefit of some form of formal registration and a total ban on politicians giving favoured access to political friends in lobbying roles. I think this is how it works in Washington.” <ref> Byrne Baby Byrne, [http://byrnebabybyrne.com/?p=86 "More on Lobbying"] 18 July 2007. </ref>
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=Relationship with the Bahraini Government=
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According to a posting on the website of the Bahraini government’s Tender Board, Weber Shandwick has made a bid of 1.9 million million US dollars to win a new PR contract. <ref> [http://www.tenderboard.gov.bh/Tendering/Reports/OpenedTendersReport.aspx?TenderID=224886 Kingdom of Bahrain Tender Board], 10/10/2013, accessed 26 November 2013. </ref> Advocacy group Bahrain Watch called the bidding PR companies not to play a role in the Bahraini government's attempt to whitewash its image amidst its repression of pro-democracy protesters. <ref> Fahad Desmukh, [https://bahrainwatch.org/blog/page/3/ Western PR Firms Compete for Fresh Multi-Million Dollar Contract with Bahrain Govt], October 14, 2013, accessed 26 November 2013.
  
 
==Key People==
 
==Key People==

Revision as of 19:45, 26 November 2013

Twenty-pound-notes.jpg This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.

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Formerly known as Weber Shandwick GJW Public Affairs, Weber Shandwick Public Affairs (WSPA) is part of Weber Shandwick Worldwide, one of the largest PR companies in the world and largest in the UK, whose ultimate owner is Interpublic, one of the big three global communications conglomerates.

Described in PR Week as a “thrusting public affairs agency on the cutting edge of politics and lobbying , WSPA has absorbed many other lobby firms including GJW, Shandwick Public Affairs, Charles Barker Public Affairs. WSPA describes its staff as “spanning the political spectrum and including former special advisors, election aides and election candidates.”

History

Conservative Lord Chadlington, aka Peter Gummer, younger brother of John Gummer, founded Shandwick in 1974. [1] WSPA was launched in 1997 under the guidance of Lord McNally, now leader of the Lib-Dems in the Lords, and a friend of WSPA CEO, Colin Byrne (according to Byrne). [2] Lord Tom McNally joined Weber Shandwick in 1993, became non-exec vice-chairman of Weber Shandwick in 2003 a position he left in November 2004 on his appointment as Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords. [3]


Friends in the right places

CEO Colin Byrne is described as a key figure in the interface between big business and New Labour. [4] Byrne worked for Labour and used to be Peter Mandelson’s flatmate. Andrew Brown, brother of Prime Minister Gordon, was also a Weber Shandwick employee (director of media strategy) before moving to nuclear energy company EDF. Former employees also include ex William Hague press aide and now Conservative MP for Witham, Priti Patel; Lib Dem MP for Winchester, Mark Oaten; and Graham Brady, Tory MP for Altrincham and Sale West and Shadow Minister for Europe.

According to Electoral Commission's register of donations, the company gave Labour £17,000 in August 2004 and a further £19,500 in September 2005. [5]

Revelations that former cabinet minister David Blunkett was paid £15,000 by Weber Shandwick to speak at a dinner convened by the agency in March 2005, prompted trade body the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC) to review its code of conduct. Blunkett was introduced to Tariq and Lucy Siddiqi of DNA Bioscience, the firm at the centre of his downfall, at the dinner. [6]

In a recent post on his blog CEO Byrne said: “Perhaps it is time for lobbyists and politicians to accept the need and benefit of some form of formal registration and a total ban on politicians giving favoured access to political friends in lobbying roles. I think this is how it works in Washington.” [7]

Relationship with the Bahraini Government

According to a posting on the website of the Bahraini government’s Tender Board, Weber Shandwick has made a bid of 1.9 million million US dollars to win a new PR contract. [8] Advocacy group Bahrain Watch called the bidding PR companies not to play a role in the Bahraini government's attempt to whitewash its image amidst its repression of pro-democracy protesters. Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

  • Priti Patel Now the Conservative Party’s first Asian female MP, Patel won the newly created constituency of Witham in Essex in the May 2010 UK elections. Patel had rejoined Weber Shandwick in December 2007 from drink company Diageo, (where she'd shaped a global strategy on responsible drinking). She previously worked at Weber Shandwick from 2000 to 2003 and has also been deputy press secretary to ex-Tory leader William Hague.
  • Luke Akehurst Akehurst has been a Labour Party activist since 1988, and a staunch Blairite. He was Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005), and since 2002, has been Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) and chief whip of Labour in the London borough. He specialises in advising defence and aerospace companies. He has a Blog[9] which has been spoofed.[10]

Clients

Weber Shandwick took on BNFL as a client in 2002 [11]

2011

[12]

Resources

References

  1. ↑ Deborah Ross, "Interview-lord Chadlington: Lord, what a nightmare at the opera", Independent on Sunday, 08 December 1997.
  2. ↑ Colin Byrne's blog, 'Byrne Baby Byrne', 26 Oct 2007.
  3. ↑ Lib Dem website, Who's who
  4. ↑ Mark Hollingsworth, An infestation of lobbyists, The Guardian, 06 June 2001.
  5. ↑ Joe Murphy, “As Nuclear Power Gets Go-Ahead, The Links With Brown's Lobbyist Brother; Government Accused of Caving in to Industry”, Evening Standard, 11 July 2006.
  6. ↑ Ravi Chandiramani, "APPC to toughen code of practice" PR Week, 10 November 2005 (requires subscription).
  7. ↑ Byrne Baby Byrne, "More on Lobbying" 18 July 2007.
  8. ↑ Kingdom of Bahrain Tender Board, 10/10/2013, accessed 26 November 2013.
  9. ↑ blog
  10. ↑ spoofed.
  11. ↑ P. Simpson (2002)WSW Picks Up BNFL Public Affairs Work, PR Week, 22 April
  12. ↑ APPC Register, 1 June- 31 August 2011, Weber Shandwick, acc 6 Oct 2011

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