Robbie MacDuff
Robbie MacDuff is a lobbyist who was based in London with Ian Greer Associates. He moved to Edinburgh after the cash for questions scandal and worked for Strategy in Scotland playing a leading role in the campaign of the lobbying industry against transparency. He is now back in London with Precise Public Affairs.
From the Precise Public Affairs website:
- Robbie MacDuff has been a senior public affairs consultant for 15 years, working for some of the country's leading companies including Kingfisher, Thames Water, British Gas, GNER, Railtrack Scotland, Alfred McAlpine, BHP, Birmingham International Airport and 3i plc. He joined Precise Public Affairs from Strategy in Scotland, part of Grayling Group, where he was Managing Director.
- Previous to that, Robbie was based in London, and was a Director of IGA, supporting clients' consultancy requirements at Westminster, Brussels and Edinburgh. Prior to consultancy, he worked for seven years as the researcher for a former MP for Bootle and Labour's Front Bench Spokesperson on Environmental Protection.
- Robbie is a former Secretary of the Association of Professional Political Consultants (in Scotland), and the Edinburgh Business Labour Forum, and is a member of the Institute of Directors.[1]
Political Career
Macduff was a researcher for Labour MP for bootle Alan roberts and a candidate for the nomination for the seat:
- LABOUR is applying a Sun test to its by-election candidates, asking them whether there is anything in their private lives which could embarrass the party if it appeared on the front page of a tabloid newspaper... Robbie MacDuff, who was research assistant to Allan Roberts, the former Bootle MP, received more than a quarter of the local constituency nominations for the forthcoming by-election. But he was excluded from the shortlist by the national executive vetting panel of John Evans, MP for St Helens North, and Eddie Haigh, a Transport and General Workers' Union official.
At a Blackpool reception on Wednesday night, Janet Pickering, who chairs the TGWU's parliamentary branch - representing MPs' and peers' staff - spoke of disappointment and sadness that Mr MacDuff had been left off the Bootle shortlist. She said the strength of his nominations would normally have guaranteed him a place - if there was no by-election. Ms Pickering added: It could, of course, have something to do with the fact that Robbie is gay.
Mr Evans yesterday refused to discuss individual cases. Both he and Mr Haigh said that The Sun was not specifically mentioned when candidates were asked whether there was anything in their private lives which could be used to embarrass them or the party, although Mr Haigh conceded: I suppose it is in the back of people's minds.[2]
