Christopher Whitehouse

Christopher Whitehouse is the Chairman of public affairs company the Whitehouse Consultancy and a decades long 'pro-life' (or anti abortion) campaigner. While a parliamentary researcher and later as a lobbyist he has worked consistently with All Party Groups and other Parliament oriented policy discussion groups. He is the director of Westminster Forum Projects a private company that runs a number of parliamentary policy discussion groups, in which numbers of the lobbying clients of the Whitehouse Consultancy have interests.

Whitehouse was managing director of his consultancy until March 2014 when he handed over the role to former associate director Emma Carr. He told PR Week that:

"My role has changed from one that is dealing with details of running the business to more ambassadorial and strategic involvement."

He revealed that health, environment and education policy development are growth sectors where the company is investing in staff.

From Parliament to lobbying

Whitehouse worked for 16 years in the Houses of Parliament for both MPs and Peers including Nicholas Winterton and Ann Winterton the husband and wife Tory MPs. He then set up a public affairs consultancy called the Government Relations Unit (GRU) with a sole partner, Nicholas Winterton MP, whom he later bought out in 1998 after the role of MPs as lobbyists became a public issue. At that point the company changed its name to Good News Communications. Whitehouse, who became managing director of Good News, explained the reasoning behind the move: 'We provide valuable strategic advice. It is no longer appropriate for any acting Member of Parliament to be involved in a company of this kind'. Good News later (in January 2002) changed its name to the Whitehouse Consultancy.

Background

Whitehouse is qualified with distinction in business studies and public administration, and says he has a "solid track record of advising companies, trade associations and campaigning groups on strategies and tactics for influencing public policy in Westminster, Whitehall and Brussels." An experienced media performer he also regularly lectures on politics and public affairs.

During his time in Westminster, Whitehouse worked with members of All-Party Parliamentary Groups and Select Committees. He claims to have contacts with government ministers, opposition Spokesmen, Special Advisers to Government Ministers and key backbenchers as well as Members of the European Parliament.

Pro-life/anti-abortion campaigning and lobbying

Whitehouse has been active on moral conservative causes for some decades. He was clerk for the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group for almost 20 years, until he stepped down in November 2003. He was honoured for this work with a Papal Award, the Knight of St Gregory. Lord Alton of Liverpool, one of the group's founders said:

"Christopher has given 20 years of faithful service to the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-life Group. His contribution to the group's work has been immense. Nothing is more important than the right to life and Christopher has always made this belief his central priority."

Whitehouse was a 'committee member' of Family and Youth Concern in the mid 1980s, according to The Times.

Chris Whitehouse, an astute observer of developments ... believes an incipient but effective British moral majority could develop as a coalition between consummate lobbyists, SPUC, and the non-party but hardline focus for evangelical righteousness, CARE Campaigns.

Whitehouse is a trustee of the Right to Life Charitable Trust. Right to Life funds the post of an administrator for the All-Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group, which aims 'to provide a forum for discussion of pro-life issues including abortion, euthanasia and research upon the human embryo'.

Lobbying work

Health Service Finance

LIFT LOBI is the Liaison Organisation for Business Investors in Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) schemes; the representative body for private sector partners. The membership comprises 13 organisations with equity investments in over 90% of the LIFT ventures around the country.

Its acts as a forum for debate and decision-making for members on all issues relating to LIFT and represents the interests and consensus opinion of its members.

LIFT is a government-endorsed finance scheme based on long term joint ventures at national and local level to improve investment in primary and social care services in England. It reflects Government policy to use the private sector where feasible to increase healthcare investment.

Unlike Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deals, LIFT schemes are based on the local private public partnership joint venture companies called LIFTCo's owning and maintaining the new premises and leasing space to PCTs, General Practitioners (GPs) and other social care or voluntary sector tenants.

Affiliations

He is a Director of

• the Westminster Media Forum
• the Westminster Diet and Health Forum
• the Westminster Education Forum
• the Westminster eForum.

He is also Clerk to the All-Party Parliamentary Media Group.

An adviser over many years to the British Olympic Association, Whitehouse is Chair of the Liaison Organisation for Business Investors in the National Health Service LIFT Scheme (LIFT LOBI); and is a former Chief Executive of the Manufacturing and Construction Industries Alliance.