Tony Blair

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Tony Blair, MP

Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Labour Party. He resigned from the position in June 2007.

In January 2008, the Financial Times reported that Blair had agreed to become a part-time adviser to the global financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The newspaper reported that Blair "will use his experience and contacts to provide political and strategic advice to the US bank and participate in some client events." Blair resigned as leader of the parliamentary wing of British Labor Party in June 2007. While the fee for the position has not been disclosed, a New York recruitment firm suggested that it "was likely to be more than $1m (£500,000) a year." Blair stated that he was looking at accepting "a small handful" of similar positions with other companies. "I have always been interested in commerce and the impact of globalisation. Nowadays, the intersection between politics and the economy in different parts of the world, including the emerging markets, is very strong," he said.[1]

In Government

Blair had been widely criticised from within his own party for championing the policy on Iraq of U.S. President George W. Bush. There is a general perception in the UK that Blair repeatedly misled the UK parliament and public in echoing the U.S. claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and that invading and occupying Iraq was legal. As a result, some Members of Parliament have formed a group to call for impeachment hearings.

Further pressure was put on Blair in September 2004, during the UK Labour Party conference, when the London Evening Standard newspaper published details of a leaked Pentagon briefing paper, Operation Iraqi Freedom: Strategic Lessons Learned. The document reveals that in October 2002, the Pentagon finalized its Full Operational Battle Plan 1003V for the Iraq war, at a time when Blair was insisting that no decisions had been made about whether to go to war.

Tony Blair is a member of the Fabian Society, the America APPG, and patron of the Foreign Policy Centre.

Sources of income

Before Tony Blair announced that he would be resigning his prime ministerial post it became known (not officially announced) that he had been offered a position at the Carlyle Group, the largest US private equity firm which is heavily involved the armaments industry.[2] It also became known that the Murdoch-press would publish his memoirs once these became available, and £4.5million signing fee had been agreed.[3]

While Blair's mostly-symbolic role as "mediator" in the Middle East has impeded him pursuing the lecture circuit, the announced rate for one lecture in China was US$500,000. On 9 January 2008, it was announced that Blair would become a "part-time senior adviser, on a salary said to exceed $1m (£500,000) a year" at JP Morgan Chase.[4]

In 2010, it was claimed by the Daily Mail, that Tony Blair Associates would earn £27 million, in a four year deal, for advising the Kuwait Government on how to govern itself. A spokesman for Blair has denied this but did confirm the company would be working with the Kuwaitis for 'several years', and had produced 'Kuwait Vision 2035', a report into the kingdom’s political and economic future.[5]

In 2012, in an interview by Financial Times editor Lionel Barber, Blair revealed he was being paid £2.5 million a year by J P Morgan, a lesser amount by Zurich Financial Services and in 2011 had earned an estimated £20 million, via Tony Blair Associates, through speeches, consultancy and government advisory work.[6]

Blair's Nuclear Stance

See the Powerbase page Tony Blair: Nuclear views.

Affiliations

  • Senior advisor,[7] JP Morgan (http://www.jpmorgan.com/) - Investment bank, January 2008. Advised by ACOBA to "take up forthwith but, for 12 months after leaving office, he should not be personally involved in lobbying UK Government Ministers or officials on behalf of his new employer or its clients".[8]
  • The Other Club, member since 1991
  • Tony Blair Associates, February 2009. "Will allow him to provide, in partnership with others, strategic advice on both a commercial and pro-bono basis, on political and economic trends and governmental reform." ACOBA saw "no reason why he should not set up the firm forthwith."[9]
  • Speaking engagements, Washington Speakers Bureau Inc., October 2007. ACOBA advised "take up forthwith, the normal three-month waiting period for former Cabinet Ministers having expired, provided that he did not draw on privileged information that was available to him as Prime Minister".[8][10]
  • Consultant/senior adviser, Zurich Financial Services, January 2008. Advised by ACOBA to "take up forthwith but, for 12 months after leaving office, he should not be personally involved in lobbying UK Government Ministers or officials on behalf of his new employer or its clients."[8]

Former affiliations

  • Governance adviser Kuwaiti Government, June 2008-2012. ACOBA saw "no reason why he should not take up the appointment forthwith."[11][12]

Contact, References and Resources

Resources

External

Powerbase resources

Notes and References

  1. ↑ David Wighton, "Blair takes advisory position at JPMorgan", Financial Times, January 9 2008.
  2. ↑ Hamer, Rupert, "Tony Blair to join Carlyle Group?" Sunday Mirror, 22 August 2005, accessed 24 November 2008.
  3. ↑ Aaronovitch, David, "A Different Kind of Compassion," Media Lens, 10 January 2008.
  4. ↑ Wearden, Graeme, "Blair joins JP Morgan as $1m-a-year adviser," Guardian, 10 January 2008, accessed 24 November 2008.
  5. ↑ Nabila Ramdani and Tim Shipman Tony Blair's company 'to make £27m advising Kuwait on how to govern itself' The Daily Mail, 14 December 2010, accessed 27 November 2014
  6. ↑ Jonathan Petre Tony Blair earned £20m in just one year advising business bosses and foreign governments Daily Mail, 30 June 2012, accessed 27 November 2014
  7. ↑ BBC, "Tony Blair joins investment bank," 10 January 2008, accessed 24 November 2008.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Ninth Report 2006-2008 Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, accessed 27 November 2014
  9. ↑ Tenth Report 2008-2009 Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, accessed 27 November 2014
  10. ↑ Speakers Washington Speakers Bureau, accessed 27 November 2014
  11. ↑ Eleventh Report 2009-2010 Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, accessed 27 November 2014
  12. ↑ Simon Kerr Tony Blair eyes Abu Dhabi office as he looks to expand Middle East role Financial Times, 23 June 2014, accessed 27 November 2014
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