Thread by @allthecitizens

Questions raised by @allthecitizens after we find two companies win £3.6m in gov contracts whilst clients for Tory lobbyist Simon Blagden. Blagden has donated over £300,000 to the party
THREAD:

Simon Blagden CBE has given £301k to the Tories personally and through 2 companies (Pietas/the Avre Partnership) in the last 2 yrs.

He’s a Leader's Group member, vice-chair of the British Italian Conservatives and industry chairman of the APPG on tech.
ft.com/content/5bc434…

Blagden has 2 consultancies listed on the UK statutory lobby register; Avre Partnership and Larkspur International (as well as the above, Avre also gave to the Lib Dems pre-2015).
…gisterofconsultantlobbyists.force.com/CLR_Public_Pro…

…gisterofconsultantlobbyists.force.com/CLR_Public_Pro…

Avre Partnership joined the UK statutory lobby register in 2019, and lobbies for CityFibre Holdings. Since 2019, CityFibre Holdings has won 4 local gov contracts worth £3m.

3 were “single tender” (i.e. didn’t necessarily go to tender). The 4th’s listed as “other”.

Larkspur Intl Ltd joined the lobby registrar in 2020. Its clients are Verizon UK and Healthcare Communications. Whilst Verizon has won no gov contracts since being listed as a client, Healthcare has won £704k in 8 local gov contracts as part of tendered framework agreements.

Following the Greensill/David Cameron lobbying scandal, renewed scrutiny has been placed on the function of lobbying within the UK government. While lobbying is legal in the UK, the form it takes and its regulation is often opaque.

There is no requirement, for instance, for companies to list who their lobbyists are on government contracts. And no requirement for lobbyists to register on the lobby register if they have donated to political parties.

So, whilst there’s no assertion Blagden, his companies or clients acted illegally or improperly, even the illusion Blagden’s political generosity potentially helped his clients win gov contracts - local or national - through political lobby isn’t one anyone wants.

As such, @allthecitizens feels it is important that all potential conflicts of interest, including representation by lobbyists who are political donors, are addressed and made public in the name of transparency and accountability.
keepingthereceipts.substack.com