Paul Mercer
This article is part of the Undercover Research Portal - a project of the Undercover Research Group in conjunction with SpinWatch. |
Paul Mercer has been decribed by the Guardian as 'a corporate investigator with a history of spying on political campaigners'.[1]
The Vision of St Kinnock
According to Brian Crozier, The vision of St Kinnock, a pamphlet attributed to Mercer which appeared in the run-up to 1987 election, was actually an initiative of Crozier's secretive private intelligence network, The 61. Crozier describes Mercer as "one of the best of our activists."[2]
BAE
It emerged in 2007 that Mercer was involved in monitoring the Campaign against the Arms Trade (CAAT) for defence firm BAE.[3]
BAE's head of security Michael McGinty, and a colleague, Martin Carroll, ran the operation through another company Global Open Ltd, which contracted Mercer's company, LigneDeux Associates.[4]
Mercer obtained a CD with details of CAAT's confidential legal advice, which he passed to McGinty at the end of 2006. This came to light when it was disclosed to CAAT by BAE's lawyers, Allen & Overy in legal proceedings.[5]
Following the disclosure the Guardian interviewed MP Julian Lewis about his relationship with Mercer:
- Mr Lewis, Conservative MP for New Forest East, denied last night having any knowledge of Mr Mercer's work for BAE. He said: "I worked closely with Paul in the 1980s. He became a Conservative councillor and he did a lot of good work exposing the far left."
- Asked if he had been in touch with Mr Mercer during his recent undercover BAE work, Mr Lewis said: "I am in social contact with him. I regard him as a friend."[6]
Political donations
Donations recorded by the Electoral Commission:[7]
| Date | Name of donor | Amount | Donated to | Subsidiary (parties only) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30/05/2013 | Paul S Mercer | £2,000.00 | Conservative Party | Loughborough |
| 28/10/2013 | Paul S Mercer | £1,220.00 | Conservative Party | Loughborough |
External Resources
- Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Campaign Against the Arms Trade v Paul Mercer & Lignedeux Associates - Briefing (pdf)
- Corporate Spy was active in Nottingham, 9 February 2011.
- Richard Bartholomew, Paul Mercer: The Spy Who Came into the Spotlight, Bartholomew's Notes on Religion, 12 February 2011.
Notes
- ↑ Johnny McDevitt, Rob Evans and Meirion Jones, Cabinet minister accepted donation from corporate spy, The Guardian, 1 May 2015.
- ↑ Brian Crozier, Free Agent: The Unseen War 1941-1991, HarperCollinsPublishers, 1993, p.278.
- ↑ Rob Evans and David Leigh, BAE spy named by campaigners is friend of leading Tory, The Guardian, 19 April 2007.
- ↑ Rob Evans and David Leigh, BAE spy named by campaigners is friend of leading Tory, The Guardian, 19 April 2007.
- ↑ Rob Evans and David Leigh, BAE spy named by campaigners is friend of leading Tory, The Guardian, 19 April 2007.
- ↑ Rob Evans and David Leigh, BAE spy named by campaigners is friend of leading Tory, The Guardian, 19 April 2007.
- ↑ Electoral Commission Search: 'Paul Mercer', accessed 4 May 2015.
|
