Insight Public Affairs
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This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch. |
Insight Public Affairs, now known as Insight Consulting Group (ICG) is a UK lobbying and corporate communications agency. It was bought by Four Communications in early 2017. It is led by John Lehal, a former parliamentary candidate and campaign director for both Andy Burnham and Owen Smith in their bids to become Labour leader.[1]
It had a fee income in 2016 in the region of £3.5 million. It specialises in lobbying for healthcare companies.
According to the UK Register of All-Party Groups, the PR and lobbying firm Insight Public Affairs is employed by pharmaceutical firms Sanofi-Aventis, Bayer Schering Pharma and Boehringer Ingelheim to provide administrative assistance (organising meetings, sending invitations).[2]
Insight Public Affairs also works with the National Literacy Trust (NLT) and the Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals (CILIP).[3]
An article in The Times (London) of 25 September 2009 notes:
- Insight Public Affairs, which is still dominated by former Labour staff members and has not yet recruited a Tory candidate, has issued a flattering guide to likely stars of the 2010 intake of MPs, with advice on how to lobby them. "So many new MPs," wrote an account executive, Mark Wheeler, "so many lobby interests, so little time."[4]
In February 2015 Insight rebranded itself as Insight Consulting Group in order to reflect its change in focus. MD John Lehal said 'its work has included more than government affairs for a long time and that it reached "beyond Westminster and Whitehall"'.[5]
Contents
Views on lobbying transparency
Following extensive evidence gathering in 2008, the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee published their report and recommendations on Lobbying in early January 2009. The Committee's report recommended the mandatory register of lobbyists.
In a January 2009 interview about lobbying of members of the House of Lords on BBC Radio 5 Live, Insight's accounts director Chris West seemed to agree with the Committee. He emphasised the importance of "being really open", adding, "All we're looking for is transparency in lobbying."[6]
But in a contradiction of this view, Insight's James Tyrrell criticised the Committee's recommendation that all communications between lobbyists and policy makers should be reported. He said:
- The recommendation for all agencies to publish their client list is to be welcomed. But the principal weakness of the report is the proposal - under compulsory regulation - to report all communication between the policymaker and the lobbyist. There remains an inherent difficulty in defining a lobbyist - a fact that risks undermining the committee’s objectives. If we include every group or individual and require them to register every meeting with an MP or civil servant, it will at best be burdensome and at worst a mechanism for disenfranchisement for those least able to meet exacting standards. The public affairs industry needs to uphold exceptional ethics - but discouraging political engagement is not the way to do it.[7]
All-Party Parliamentary Groups
Insight works with:
- the All-Party Group on Atrial Fibrillation[8]
- the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Libraries, Literacy and Information Management[9]
- the All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group[10]
Clients
Registrar of consultant lobbyists
The register of consultant lobbyists documents clients on behalf of whom ICG have lobbied government ministers. Their 2015/2016 filings are as follows:
April - June 2016
Heart Valve Voice | Voyage Care [11]
October - December 2015
Bristol-Myers Squibb | Melanoma UK [12]
July - September 2015
Bristol-Myers Squibb | Hospira | Janssen
April - June 2015
January - March 2015
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Atrial Fibrillation | All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group | Bristol-Myers Squibb
APPC lobbying register
March 2016-May 2016
Alcon | All-Party Group on Atrial Fibrillation | All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group | Alstom | Anti-Coagulation Europe | ARIAD | Atrial Fibrillation Association | Bluebird Care | Bristol-Myers Squibb | Camden Town Unlimited | Chartered Institute of Marketing | Coloplast | Elephant Family | Finders International | Fortune | Heart Valve Voice | Learning Disability Voices | Local Government Association | Look Ahead Care and Support Melanoma UK | National Literacy Trust | Novartis | Paddy Power Betfair | Payplan | Pfizer | PWC | Sanofi | Teva UK | Thrombosis UK | Voyage Care [13]
December 2015-February 2016
Alcon | All-Party Group on Atrial Fibrillation | Atrial Fibrillation Association | Coagulation Europe ARIAD | Atrial Fibrillation Association | Betfair | Biomerieux | Bristol-Myers Squibb | British Parking Association | Camden Town Unlimited | Chartered Institute of Marketing | Coca-Cola | Coloplast | Elephant Family | Heart Valve Voice | Hospira | Janssen John Lewis Partnership | Local Government Association | Look Ahead Care and Support Melanoma UK | National Literacy Trust | Novartis | Payplan | Pfizer | PWC | Teva UK | Thrombosis UK | Voyage Care[14]
September 2015-November 2015
Alcon | All-Party Group on Atrial Fibrillation | All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group | Alstom | Anti-Coagulation Europe | ARIAD | Arrhythmia Alliance | Atrial Fibrillation Association | Betfair | Biomerieux | Bristol-Myers Squibb | British Parking Association | Camden Town Unlimited | Chartered Institute of Marketing | Coca-Cola | Coloplast | Elephant Family | Heart Valve Voice | Hospira | Janssen | John Lewis Partnership | Local Government Association | Look Ahead Care and Support Melanoma UK | National Literacy Trust | Novartis | Payplan | Pfizer | Teva UK | Thrombosis UK[15]
June 2015-August 2015
Alcon | All-Party Group on Atrial Fibrillation | All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group | Alstom | Anti-Coagulation Europe | ARIAD | Arrhythmia Alliance | Atrial Fibrillation Association | Betfair | Biomerieux | Bristol-Myers Squibb | British Parking Association | Camden Town Unlimited | Chartered Institute of Marketing | Coloplast | Elephant Family | General Dental Council | Hospira | Janssen | Look Ahead Care and Support | Melanoma UK | National Literacy Trust | Novartis | Payplan | Pfizer | Teva UK | Thrombosis UK [16]
March 2015-May 2015
Alcon | All-Party Group on Atrial Fibrillation | All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group | Anti-Coagulation Europe | ARIAD | Atrial Fibrillation Association | Betfair | Bristol-Myers Squibb | British Parking Association | Camden Town Unlimited | Coloplast | Design Council | Elephant Family | General Dental Council | Hospira | Janssen | Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity | Look Ahead Care and Support | Melanoma UK | National Literacy Trust | Novartis | Outdoor Media Centre | Payplan | Pfizer | Proprietary Association of Great Britain | Public Fundraising Regulatory Association | Sport England | Teva UK | UK Cards Association | UK Clinical Pharmacy Association[17]
December-February 2015
Alcon | All-Party Group on Atrial Fibrillation (Atrial Fibrillation Association employs ICG to act as the groups secretariat. A proportion of AFA income includes an unrestricted grant to provide secretariat and administrative services to the group from Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer-BMS Alliance | All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group (supported by Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Leo Pharma and Pfizer-BMS Alliance | Anti-Coagulation Europe | ARIAD | Atrial Fibrillation Association | Betfair | Bluebird Care | Bristol-Myers Squibb | British Parking Association | Camden Town Unlimited | Design Council | Elephant Family | General Dental Council | Hospira | Janssen | Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity | Look Ahead Care and Support | Melanoma UK | National Literacy Trust | Novartis | Outdoor Media Centre | Payplan | Pfizer | Proprietary Association of Great Britain | Public Fundraising Regulatory Association | Teva UK | The Institution of Engineering and Technology | UCB Pharma | UK Clinical Pharmacy Association[18]
September 2014-November 2014
Alcon | All-Party Group on Atrial Fibrillation | All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group | Anti-Coagulation Europe | ARIAD | Atrial Fibrillation Association | Betfair | Bluebird Care | Bristol-Myers Squibb | British Parking Association | Camden Town Unlimited | General Dental Council | Janssen | Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity | Look Ahead Care and Support Melanoma UK | Novartis | Outdoor Media Centre | Payplan | Pfizer | Public Fundraising Regulatory Association | PwC UK | Sandoz | Teva UK Ltd | The Institution of Engineering and Technology | UCB Pharma Ltd | UK Clinical Pharmacy Association[19]
June 2014-August 2014
Alcon | All-Party Group on Atrial Fibrillation | All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group | Anti-Coagulation Europe | Atrial Fibrillation Association | Betfair | Bluebird Care | Bristol-Myers Squibb | British Parking Association | Camden Town Unlimited | General Dental Council | Janssen | Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity | Melanoma UK | Novartis | Outdoor Media Centre | Payplan | Pfizer | Public Fundraising Regulatory Association | PwC UK | Sandoz | Teva UK Ltd | UCB Pharma Ltd | UK Clinical Pharmacy Association[20]
November 2009
Bayer Healthcare/Bayer Schering Pharma | Celgene | Circle Anglia | CDFA - Community Development Finance Institutions | CRFP - Council For The Registration Of Forensic Practitioners | Foundations | Genzyme | Harrahs | ITM | Lifeblood - the thrombosis charity | Local Government Information Unit | Lloyds Pharmacy | National Autistic Society | National Literacy Trust | N.O.W. | National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society | Payplan | Pulmonary Hypertension Association | Rentokil Initial | Sanofi-Aventis | Skills for Care | St Mungo's | Total Politics | Wallace & Gromit's Children's Foundation[21]
People
As at January 2015:[22]
- John Lehal - managing director
- James Tyrrell - deputy managing director
- Jim Rothwell - associate director
- Neil Gadhok - associate director
- Sarah Jones - associate director
- Daniel Cambers - associate director
- Ed McRandal - account director
- John Higginson - head of corporate communications[23]
Former people
- Louise Phillips - head of media (November 2013-December 2014). Has worked as a media assistant during Brian Paddick's Mayoral Campaign in 2008, has worked for the Liberal Democrats as a senior election broadcast officer during the 2010 General Election and a senior press officer from 2008 to 2010, a consultant at Open Road is currently global media relations manager at Unilever.[24]
- Victoria Parker - former account executive/manager 2012-2014. Former parliamentary researcher to David Amess MP from 2007 to 2010. Is currently a senior account manager at MHP Communications.[25]
APPC lobbying register
March 2016-May 2016
Alfie Brierley | Daniel Cambers | Josh Collier | Joe Cormack | Harriet Deane | Emily Fisher | Rob Fuller | Neil Gadhok | Rebecca Godfrey | Alistair Gordon | Elizabeth Gutfreund-Walmsley | John Higginson | Sarah Jones | Richard Kelly | Laura Kennedy | James le Grice | John Lehal | Ed McRandal | James Rothwell | Neal Suchak | Greg Sutherland | Katie Thurston-Smith | Robert Toomey (intern) | Lewis van Diggele | Helen Walsh | Ben Wheatley | Dominic Woodcock (intern) [13]
December 2015-February 2016
Tom Barrett (intern)| Daniel Cambers | Josh Collier | Joe Cormack | Harriet Deane | Rob Fuller | Neil Gadhok | Rebecca Godfrey | Alistair Gordon | Elizabeth Gutfreund-Walmsley | John Higginson | Sarah Jones | Richard Kelly | Laura Kennedy | James le Grice | John Lehal | Ed McRandal | Caitlin Murray (intern)| James Rothwell | Neal Suchak | Greg Sutherland | Katie Thurston-Smith | James Tyrrell | Lewis van Diggele | Helen Walsh | Ben Wheatley [14]
September 2015-November 2015
Tom Barrett (intern) | Daniel Cambers | Josh Collier | Joe Cormack | Harriet Deane | Rob Fuller | Neil Gadhok | Rebecca Godfrey | Alistair Gordon | Elizabeth Gutfreund-Walmsley | John Higginson | Sarah Jones | Richard Kelly | Laura Kennedy | James le Grice | John Lehal | Ed McRandal | Caitlin Murray (intern) | Alex Pegler | James Rothwell | Laurence Sleator (intern) | Neal Suchak | Greg Sutherland | Katie Thurston-Smith | James Tyrrell | Lewis van Diggele | Helen Walsh | Ben Wheatley[26]
June 2015-August 2015
Miski Abdi (intern) | Edward Baggaley (intern) | Daniel Cambers | Josh Collier (intern) | Joe Cormack | Rob Fuller | Neil Gadhok | Rebecca Godfrey | Alistair Gordon | Elizabeth Gutfreund-Walmsley | John Higginson | Sarah Jones | Richard Kelly | Laura Kennedy | James le Grice | John Lehal | Ciara Martin (intern) | Ed McRandal | Alex Pegler | James Rothwell | Laurence Sleator (intern) | Neal Suchak | Greg Sutherland | Katie Thurston-Smith | James Tyrrell | Lewis van Diggele | Helen Walsh | Ben Wheatley [27]
March 2015-May 2015
Miski Abdi | Edward Baggaley | Daniel Cambers | Ed Croall | Rob Fuller | Neil Gadhok | Rebecca Godfrey | Elizabeth Gutfreund-Walmsley | John Higginson | Sarah Jones | Richard Kelly | Laura Kennedy | James le Grice | John Lehal | Ed McRandal | Victoria Parker | Alex Pegler | Louise Phillips | James Rothwell | Vibha Sharma | Isabel Stoker | Greg Sutherland | Katie Thurston | James Tyrrell | Lewis van Diggele | Helen Walsh | Ben Wheatley[17]
December 2014-February 2015
Daniel Cambers | Ed Croall | Rob Fuller | Neil Gadhok | Rebecca Godfrey | Elizabeth Gutfreund-Walmsley | Sarah Jones | Richard Kelly | Laura Kennedy | James le Grice | James le Grice | John Lehal | Ed McRandal | Victoria Parker | Alex Pegler | Louise Phillips | Leo Rees | James Rothwell | Vibha Sharma | Isabel Stoker | Greg Sutherland | Katie Thurston | James Tyrrell | Lewis van Diggele | Helen Walsh | Ben Wheatley[18]
September 2014-November 2014
Sophie Brammer (intern) | Daniel Cambers | Jonathan Duell (intern) | Rob Fuller | Neil Gadhok | Rebecca Godfrey | Elizabeth Gutfreund-Walmsley | Sarah Jones | Richard Kelly | Laura Kennedy | James Le Grice | John Lehal | Ed McRandal | Laura Newby | Victoria Parker | Louise Phillips | James Rothwell | Vibha Sharma | Katie Thurston | James Tyrrell | Lewis van Diggele | Ben Wheatley[19]
June 2014-August 2014
William Black | Daniel Cambers | Fred Cotterill | Rob Fuller | Neil Gadhok | Elizabeth Gutfreund-Walmsley | Sarah Jones | Richard Kelly | Laura Kennedy | James Le Grice | John Lehal | Ed McRandal | Laura Newby | Victoria Parker | Louise Phillips | James Rothwell | Vibha Sharma | Katie Thurston | James Tyrrell | Lewis van Diggele | Ben Wheatley[20]
Resources
Insight Public Affairs, APPC Register Entry for 1 June 2009 to 31 August 2009
Notes
- ↑ Four acquires Insight Consulting Group, Four Communications press release, 24 Jan 2017
- ↑ Register of All-Party Groups, UK Parliament website, accessed 20 Nov 2009
- ↑ Register of All-Party Groups, UK Parliament website, accessed 20 Nov 2009
- ↑ Tom Baldwin and Alice Fishburn, "Movers and shakers who are working to become your MP; Tom Baldwin and Alice Fishburn on a blurring of the fine line between business and politics", The Times, Sept 25 2009
- ↑ Ian Griggs Insight Public Affairs rebrands as Insight Consulting Group PR Week, 3 February 2015, accessed 6 May 2015.
- ↑ Chris West, interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live, Jan 2009, archived at By Us, IPA website, accessed 20 Nov 2009
- ↑ James Tyrrell, quoted in Inside: News from Insight's Political and Media Consultants, March 2009
- ↑ Atrial Fibrillation APPG Register Feb 16, www.parliament.uk, accessed 23 February 2016
- ↑ Register of All-Party Groups, UK Parliament website, accessed 20 Nov 2009
- ↑ Register of All-Party Groups, UK Parliament website, accessed 20 Nov 2009
- ↑ 'Insight Public Affairs profile 2016', Register of consultant lobbyists, accessed 21 July 2016
- ↑ Insight Public Affairs profile 2015, Registrar of consultant lobbyists, accessed 8 February 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Insight Consulting Group staff, Mar-May16, APPC, accessed 16 June 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 (Insight Consulting Group) Insight Consulting Group Register 1st December 2015-28th February 2016, APPC, accessed 11 April 2016
- ↑ ICG Consulting client list Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 23 February 2016
- ↑ Insight PA client list Jun-Aug15, APPC.org, accessed 23 February 2016
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 APPC Register for 1st March 2015 - 31st May 2015, accessed 15 June 2015.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 APPC Register for 1st December 2014 - 28th February 2015, accessed 15 June 2015.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 APPC Register 1st September 2014 - 30th November 2014, accessed 20 January 2015
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 APPC Register 1st June 2014 - 31st August 2014, accessed 19 October 2014
- ↑ Clients, IPA website, accessed 20 Nov 2009
- ↑ Our team Insight Public Affairs, accessed 20 January 2015
- ↑ Rod Muir Insight swoops for Higginson Public Affairs News, 4 May 2015, accessed 6 May 2015.
- ↑ Louise Phillips Linkedin, accessed 20 January 2015
- ↑ Victoria Parker Linkedin, accessed 20 January 2015
- ↑ ICG Consulting staff list Sep-Nov15, APPC.org, accessed 23 February 2016
- ↑ Insight PA staff list Jun-Aug15, APPC.org, accessed 23 February 2016
