Whitehouse Consultancy Ltd

This article is part of the Foodspin project of Spinwatch.

This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.

The Whitehouse Consultancy is a commercial lobbying firm based in London, established in 1997.

It was formerly known as Good News Communications Limited. The name was changed to Whitehouse on 4 January 2002.^[1]

Westminster Connections

Christopher Whitehouse is Director of The Westminster Media Forum, The Westminster Diet and Health Forum, The Westminster Education Forum, and the Westminster eForum, all of which are projects of a company called Westminster Forum Projects. All of these organisations are also listed as clients of the Whitehouse Consultancy Ltd^[2]

Christopher Whitehouse is also clerk to the All-Party Parliamentary Media Group. He is paid for his services to the group by the BBC, BSkyB, Channel 4 TV, Disney Channel and Time Warner. The cross party group has a membership of over twenty MPs. The office bearers are

Austin Mitchell | Lord Lipsey | Derek Wyatt | Don Foster | Peter Bottomley | Roger Gale | John Greenway^[3]

Complaint against "anti-competitive" register

In June 2008, the Whitehouse Consultancy and DLA Piper Global Government Affairs wrote a letter of complaint to the Public Administration Select Committee, voicing their concerns about organisations refusing to work with agencies not signed up to the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC) register. The letter, signed by Whitehouse Consultancy's managing director Chris Whitehouse, stated:

We understand fully the Met Office's concern to ensure that it only considers tenders from organisations committed to adherence to high ethical standards. But we consider... that such behaviour, as encouraged by the APPC, is anti-competitive. Having taken legal advice we are strongly of the opinion that this contravenes not only government procurement guidelines but also EU directives... and as such is unlawful".

The letter came several weeks after the Met Office put out a tender for a lobbying firm, specifying that it was 'essential' for the successful consultancy to be part of the APPC.^[4]

Health and food

Anna Laukkanen is the Whitehouse consultant that specialises in health policy and regulation, particularly in obesity, food and nutrition issues. The Whitehouse website states she played a "key role in our successful lobbying campaign in Brussels on the Regulation on Nutrition and Health Claims Made on Food".^[5]

The regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods) was drawn up to "prevent unfounded claims on food packages and to ensure effective functioning of the internal market as regards to nutrition and health claims. ".

The proposal covers two categories of claims: nutrition claims (such as "rich in vitamin C" and "low in fat") and health claims (such as "good for your beauty and your inner harmony") and proposed allowing a category of previously prohibited claims relating to the reduction of disease risk.^[6]

The food industry reacted to the proposed regulation by employing PR and lobbying companies to try to kill off or at least amend the regulation.

The controversial areas were Article 4, which laid down the conditions for restricting the use of nutrition and health claims. It called on the Commission to establish nutrient profiles (with reference to fat, sugar and salt/sodium content) for each food category within 18 months from the adoption of the regulation. Another area of contention was article 15, which required certain health claims to go through an authorisation procedure and stipulates that "the proposed wording of the health claim is substantiated by scientific data".

The food industry claimed that the proposed regulation was " an overly-burdensome regulation that will provide very little, if any, benefit to the consumer. This proposal exceeds the powers of the EU to interfere in Member State health policies and would adversely impact on food marketing and advertising, thus removing information from the consumer." Over 269 amendments were laid to the regulation.^[7]

Whitehouse also lists the Health Food Manufacturers’ Association HFMA as a client and states that:

"The members of the HFMA have been threatened by a series of national and European regulatory developments that impose additional burdens upon manufacturers... Our approach has been to position the HFMA both in the UK and in Europe as a powerful voice of the sector and to ensure that it punches above its weight in the corridors of power in Westminster, Whitehall and Brussels. Active involvement with Parliamentarians both in Westminster and in the European Parliament was initiated and developed to position the HFMA as the source of authoritative information, comment and advice on the regulation of the sector.... lobbying visits to the European Parliament, meetings as the European Commission, and a willingness to challenge regulatory decisions in the High Court and the European Court of Justice have all been key elements of the strategy....Firm and robust commitments have been achieved both from the UK Government and from the European Commission about the way in which legislation will in future be developed and implemented."^[8]

The consultancy also lists Vitabiotics as a client and states that:

"Vitabiotics have been working with The Whitehouse Consultancy over threatening EU legislation on nutrition and health claims made on foods... The proposed EU regulation on nutrition and health claims, presented by the European Commission in 2003, proposed setting up a system of prior authorisation for all nutrition and health claims across the EU. This burdensome regulation, which would also have prohibited general well-being claims, would have threatened many existing products and caused significant delay to bringing new products to market...Whitehouse...worked with Vitabiotics to ensure that the company was seen by MEPs and by member state officials as trusted partners throughout negotiations. By working with MEPs as they drafted particular amendments we were able to help ensure that such amendments addressed key concerns and defended the company’s interests.As the legislation progressed we also worked closely with supportive UK Parliamentarians, holding a briefing in the House of Lords, planting Parliamentary Questions and encouraging them to make representations to the Secretary of State and EU Commissioners. The legislation was significantly improved. Vitabiotics is now working closely with the UK government and its regulatory agencies in relation to the interpretation and implementation of the legislation, and has significantly boosted its profile during the process."^[9]

Cambridge Health and Weight Plan (CHWP) also employed Whitehouse on these regulations. According to the Whitehouse website:

" The ... Consultancy has also been liaising with MEPs in Brussels to lobby for favourable amendments to the proposed EU Regulation on Nutrition and Health Claims which would potentially prohibition any claims making reference to the rate of weight loss claims...The Consultancy successfully ensured that key amendments to the Nutrition and Health Claims legislation were voted through in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee of the European Parliament thereby significantly improving the proposed legislation.^[10]

Lobbying for tax avoidance

In June 2012 it emerged that the Whitehouse Consultancy had been hired by financial consultants NT Advisors ^[11] to lobby parliamentarians in 2009 against moves to close a major tax avoidance scheme for the super-rich, among them the comedian Jimmy Carr and a hedge fund Tory donor, George Robinson. ^[12]

Lobbying for corporate education industry

Whitehouse says it has 'extensive experience' of working in the field of education and provides support to a large number of organisations including: children’s charities, education providers, representative groups and multi-academy trusts. It says it provides a range of advice on schools policy, funding, and market access, among other things. It says:

'With significant reform under-way in UK education and children’s services policy our clients need to understand the changes that are being developed, develop considered and appropriate responses and inform and interact with key policy makers and commissioners'.^[13]

Its listed lobbying clients in 2015 include:

Bright Tribe, a multi-academy trust
NASS, (National Association of Independent Schools and Non- Maintained Special Schools)

It also lobbies for clients that are pushing for reform of education systems that benefit corporate interests. In 2015 these include:

NewsUK

People

Christopher Whitehouse, founder and chairman. Spent 14 years as an assistant to many MPs and Peers in the House of Lords and Commons.^[14]
Helen Munro, managing director
Carl Thomson, director. Stood for the Conservative Party in Glasgow East in the 2005 General Election, coming fourth as David Marshall of the Labour Party won.^[15] Was a research assistant to Theresa May MP (2004-2005) and a senior parliamentary assistant to John Redwood MP (2005-2010)^[16]
Alex Singleton, associate director. Former journalist at the The Telegraph newspaper, appeared on shows such as the Today programme, Newsnight, The Moral Maze and Channel Four’s comedy show 10 O’Clock Live, founder of the Globalisation Institute and worked as the Research Director of the Adam Smith Institute.^[17]
Katarzyna Wilk, senior political consultant. Former parliamentary assistant to a Polish MEP
Chris Rogers, head of public relations
Frances Powrie, senior political consultant. Spent seven months working in the office of Gary Titley MEP, Leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party^[18]
Sam Blainey, political consultant. Worked in the office of Andrew Dismore MP^[19]
Oliver Cardinali, political consultant
Peter Shand, political consultant
Mayar Raouf, communications consultant
Ben Rochelle, political consultant
Guillermo Serrano, political consultant. Former research and communications officer at the European Movement UK, assistant to the director at the Council for European Palestinian Relations, junior fellow at the Global Policy Institute, EU junior analyst at DeHavilland EU, junior assistant to Luis Yáñez MEP at the European Parliament and a junior research associate at Global Policy Institute London.^[20]

APPC UK

December 2015-February 2016

September 2015-November 2015

June 2015-August 2015

March 2015-May 2015

December 2014-February 2015

September 2014-November 2014

June 2014-August 2014

Former People

Helen Carr, managing director
David Hare, director. Is now chief executive of the NHS Partners Network^[27]
Anna Laukkanen, consultant
Richard Robinson, senior consultant. Former associate director at Fleishman-Hillard, is now policy and public affairs manager at Bristol-Myers Squibb^[28]
Kris Verlé, consultant
Katie McDowell, political consultant. Is now a freelance policy & public affairs consultant at Katie McDowell Consulting
Paula Pohja-Hutchison, consultant. Now an associate director at MHP Communications^[29]
Gary Jones, consultant. Former parliamentary assistant at Mark Prisk MP and a member of the health and education policy committee at The Bow Group. Now a government affairs manager at AbbVie
Lucy Craig, junior consultant. Now a senior account manager at the PR Office^[30]

Clients

Registrar of consultant lobbyists

The register of consultant lobbyists documents those clients on behalf of whom the Whitehouse Consultancy has lobbied government ministers and the firm's 2015 listings are as follows:

October - December 2015

July - September 2015

April - June 2015

January - March 2015

APPC lobbying register

December 2015-February 2016

September 2015-November 2015

June 2015-August 2015

March 2015-May 2015

December 2014-February 2015

September 2014-November 2014

June 2014-August 2014

2010

|Slimming World |Westminster Forum Projects |The British Health Care Association ^[33]

Contact

The Whitehouse Consultancy Ltd Southbank House, Black Prince Road, London, SE1 7SJ Phone: +44 (0)20 7463 0690 Fax: +44 (0)20 7463 0691 Email: info@whitehouseconsulting.co.uk Ltd company number: 03474580.

Whitehouse Europe rue Wiertz 50/28, 1050 Brussels, Belgium Phone: +32 (0)2 401 87 98 Fax: +32 (0)2 401 68 68 Email: info@whitehouse-europe.com

Website: http://www.whitehouseconsulting.co.uk/

Resources

Notes

↑ http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/9cad5b826cc1f54f6e61174774a9322a/compdetails accessed 1 December 2007
↑ About us accessed 1 December 2007
↑ http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/memi352.htm House of Commons Publications and Records, Register of All-party Groups accessed 1 December 2007
↑ David Singleton, "Agencies voice concern over APPC-only contracts", PR Week UK, 12.06.08, accessed 10.09.10
↑ http://www.whitehouseconsulting.co.uk/aboutus.aspx#anna accessed 1 December 2007
↑ http://www.euractiv.com/en/health/nutrition-health-claims-foods/article-133154 accessed 1 December 2007
↑ http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/am/604/604663/604663en.pdf European Parliament Committee on Environment Public Health and Food Safety Amendments doc accessed 1 December 2007
↑ Whitehouse Consulting HFMA Case study, Accessed 1 December 2007
↑ http://www.whitehouseconsulting.co.uk/casestudies/vitabiotics.aspx accessed 1 December 2007
↑ http://www.whitehouseconsulting.co.uk/casestudies/cambridgehwp.aspx accessed 1 December
↑ See The Whitehouse Consultancy Ltd, UK Staff and clients 1 June 2009 to 31 August 2009, Powerbase
↑ Jamie Doward and Caroline Mortimer , How advisers to stars lobbied MPs to make it a human right to avoid tax, The Observer, Saturday 23 June 2012, 19.18pm
↑ Education services, Whitehouse Consultancy website, accessed August 2015
↑ Christopher Whitehouse Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ http://www.theguardian.com/politics/constituency/959/glasgow-east Guardian, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ Carl Thomson Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ David Singleton] Whitehouse Consultancy, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ Frances Powrie Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ Sam Blainey Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ Guillermo Serrano] Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ ^21.0 ^21.1 ^21.2 Whitehouse Consultancy staff list, Dec-Feb16, APPC, accessed 27 April 2016 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Dec15" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Dec15" defined multiple times with different content
↑ ^22.0 ^22.1 Whitehouse Consultancy staff list, Sep-Nov15, APPC, accessed 27 April 2016
↑ ^23.0 ^23.1 Whitehouse Consultancy staff list, Jun-Aug15, APPC, accessed 27 April 2016
↑ ^24.0 ^24.1 Whitehouse Consultancy staff list, Mar-May15, APPC, accessed 27 April 2016
↑ ^25.0 ^25.1 Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014 APPC, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ ^26.0 ^26.1 Register 1st June 2014 - 31st August 2014 APPC, accessed 17 October 2014
↑ David Hare Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ Richard Robinson Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ Paula Pohja-Hutchinson Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ Lucy Craig Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015
↑ Whitehouse Consultancy profile 2015, Registrar of consultant lobbyists, accessed 9 February 2016
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dec14
↑ Whitehouse Consultancy Current and former clients include:, accessed 23 December, 2010

Back to Lobbying Portal

[1] ttp://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/9cad5b826cc1f54f6e61174774a9322a/compdetails accessed 1 December 2007

[2] About us accessed 1 December 2007

[3] ttp://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/memi352.htm House of Commons Publications and Records, Register of All-party Groups accessed 1 December 2007

[4] David Singleton, "Agencies voice concern over APPC-only contracts", PR Week UK, 12.06.08, accessed 10.09.10

[5] ttp://www.whitehouseconsulting.co.uk/aboutus.aspx#anna accessed 1 December 2007

[6] ttp://www.euractiv.com/en/health/nutrition-health-claims-foods/article-133154 accessed 1 December 2007

[7] ttp://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2009/documents/am/604/604663/604663en.pdf European Parliament Committee on Environment Public Health and Food Safety Amendments doc accessed 1 December 2007

[8] Whitehouse Consulting HFMA Case study, Accessed 1 December 2007

[9] ttp://www.whitehouseconsulting.co.uk/casestudies/vitabiotics.aspx accessed 1 December 2007

[10] ttp://www.whitehouseconsulting.co.uk/casestudies/cambridgehwp.aspx accessed 1 December

[11] See The Whitehouse Consultancy Ltd, UK Staff and clients 1 June 2009 to 31 August 2009, Powerbase

[12] Jamie Doward and Caroline Mortimer , How advisers to stars lobbied MPs to make it a human right to avoid tax, The Observer, Saturday 23 June 2012, 19.18pm

[13] Education services, Whitehouse Consultancy website, accessed August 2015

[14] Christopher Whitehouse Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015

[15] ttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/constituency/959/glasgow-east Guardian, accessed 26 January 2015

[16] Carl Thomson Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015

[17] David Singleton] Whitehouse Consultancy, accessed 26 January 2015

[18] Frances Powrie Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015

[19] Sam Blainey Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015

[20] Guillermo Serrano] Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015

[Dec15-21] 21.0 ^21.1 ^21.2 Whitehouse Consultancy staff list, Dec-Feb16, APPC, accessed 27 April 2016 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Dec15" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Dec15" defined multiple times with different content

[Sep15-22] 22.0 ^22.1 Whitehouse Consultancy staff list, Sep-Nov15, APPC, accessed 27 April 2016

[Jun15-23] 23.0 ^23.1 Whitehouse Consultancy staff list, Jun-Aug15, APPC, accessed 27 April 2016

[Mar15-24] 24.0 ^24.1 Whitehouse Consultancy staff list, Mar-May15, APPC, accessed 27 April 2016

[sept14-25] 25.0 ^25.1 Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014 APPC, accessed 26 January 2015

[June-26] 26.0 ^26.1 Register 1st June 2014 - 31st August 2014 APPC, accessed 17 October 2014

[27] David Hare Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015

[28] Richard Robinson Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015

[29] Paula Pohja-Hutchinson Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015

[30] Lucy Craig Linkedin, accessed 26 January 2015

[31] Whitehouse Consultancy profile 2015, Registrar of consultant lobbyists, accessed 9 February 2016

[Dec14-32] Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Dec14

[33] Whitehouse Consultancy Current and former clients include:, accessed 23 December, 2010

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[26]

[27]

[28]

[29]

[30]

[31]

[32]

[33]

Whitehouse Consultancy Ltd

Contents

Westminster Connections

Complaint against "anti-competitive" register

Health and food

Lobbying for tax avoidance

Lobbying for corporate education industry

People

APPC UK

December 2015-February 2016

September 2015-November 2015

June 2015-August 2015

March 2015-May 2015

December 2014-February 2015

September 2014-November 2014

June 2014-August 2014

Former People

Clients

Registrar of consultant lobbyists

October - December 2015

July - September 2015

April - June 2015

January - March 2015

APPC lobbying register

December 2015-February 2016

September 2015-November 2015

June 2015-August 2015

March 2015-May 2015

December 2014-February 2015

September 2014-November 2014

June 2014-August 2014

2010

Contact

Resources

Notes

Navigation menu

Search