Shanker Singham
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The Legatum Institute's key lobbyist Shanker Singham, now director of international trade at the Institute for Economic Affairs, has strong ties to the US climate science denial lobby, and has slotted neatly into a network of transatlantic climate science deniers pushing for a hard Brexit. ref. See also How Brexit Lobbyists Give Climate Science Deniers Privileged Access to the UK Govt
- Writes for CapX, see What's the point of Brexit?
- Has worked on projects such as the privatisaton of the UK electricity market, ... Bold Brexit plan will still run into Irish border problem, DDG
Funding
Singham said he has secured a $1.1m grant for a 3-year research project on anticompetitive distortions in international trade from the US libertarian and religious right Templeton Foundation, which funds research on science, free markets, and religion.[1]
Articles
- Sept.17.2020: ‘Alternative Irish border’ Brexit lobbyist in fresh conflict of interest row. Shanker Singham, appointed as a member of the Trade & Agriculture Commission,[2] was paid to lobby influential Biden allies in Washington on a post-Brexit UK/USA trade deal. Peter Geoghegan, Marcus Leroux, openDemocracy.
- Feb.08.2019: Key figure in Tory Brexit talks owns firm giving advice on EU exit. Shanker Singham’s Competere offers advice on opportunities arising from Brexit. A leading member of rightwing thinktank the Institute of Economic Affairs, he took part in high-level Brexit compromise talks between Tory MPs and the govt this week. Shanker Singham owns lobbying firm Competere Ltd, which does not disclose its clients, and has been advertised as offering clients advice on the "opportunities" arising from Brexit. He is also an adviser on Brexit to lobbying firm Grayling, owned by Huntsworth plc. Rob Evans, The Guardian.
- Sept.23.2018: Shanker Singham: is he the brains of Brexit? The former trade lawyer’s thinking is behind many policies proposed by the most enthusiastic Brexiters. Singham left his role as trade chief for the pro-Brexit thinktank the Legatum Institute this year for a similar role at the Institute of Economic Affairs. His fingerprints can be seen everywhere.: Liam Fox, Crawford Falconer, Boris Johnson, the European Research Group, Michael Gove. Pippa Crerar, The Guardian.
- Jun.21.2018: Liam Fox caught in fresh “lobbyists as advisers” scandal. Transparency campaigners have accused international trade minister Liam Fox of “having trouble again seeing the line between adviser and privately-backed lobbyist”. Singham, a one-time Washington lobbyist, is also a director of the International Trade and Competition Unit at the Institute for Economic Affairs, a position he took after he left the controversial think tank Legatum earlier this year. Grayling is one of the UK’s leading PR and lobbying firms. The client it lists most regularly in its entry in the official register of lobbyists is the National Casino Forum, and the company also represents a number of major sugar manufacturers, and has previously worked for arms companies BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin. Speaking to openDemocracy, Singham said that he was advising Grayling itself, rather than any of its clients. Singham will also assist Grayling’s stablemates Citigate Dewe Rogerson and Quiller. Quiller’s past clients include the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Last week, openDemocracy revealed the extent of Singham’s access to govt ministers since the Brexit vote, showing that he has held dozens of meetings with figures including foreign secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit minister David Davis, as well as Liam Fox. Singham also had undeclared meetings with another Brexit minister, Steve Baker. Adam Ramsay, Peter Geoghegan, openDemocracy. See also Trade guru Shanker Singham quits over role at lobbying firm.
- Jun.15.2018: Grayling signs up ‘hard Brexit svengali’ to serve as senior adviser. Grayling is beefing up its Brexit offer to clients by enlisting the help of one of the country’s most influential and controversial Brexit policy specialists. The PR and lobbying firm is set to weaponise leading trade and competition lawyer Shanker Singham in the fight to win clients seeking advice on how to navigate the post-Brexit landscape. Singham has been signed up by Grayling’s parent firm Huntsworth as a senior advisor with a brief to develop the group’s Brexit and trade offer to clients. He will also assist Citigate Dewe Rogerson and Quiller. The 48-year-old lawyer is currently director of the international trade and competition unit at the right wing think tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs. He also sits on the 5-member “committee of experts” set up by international trade secretary Liam Fox to advise on trade and investment and has been described by top Tory Michael Gove as probably the UK’s “leading expert on trade deals”. Singham previously built close links to Eurosceptic Tories during his time as director of economic policy at the Legatum Institute and in 2017 the Mail on Sunday accused him of being the “third man” in an alleged plot by Michael Gove and Boris Johnson to steer 10 Downing Street into a hard Brexit. Data compiled by openDemocracy and published this week also shows that since the Brexit vote in June 2016, Singham has also had dozens of meetings with British govt ministers including Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox. “It beggars belief that ministers and officials are spending hour after hour with Hard Brexit svengali, Shanker Singham,” said Labour MP Liam Byrne in response to the findings. David Singleton, Public Affairs News.
- May.22.2018: The Definitive Story Of How A Former Washington Lobbyist Became “The Brexiteers’ Brain”. Three mates: Steve Baker, Crawford Falconer, Shanker Singham. Some good stuff in here. Alex Spence, BuzzFeed News.
- Go through this: https://twitter.com/Hayleeee1848/status/999006847955881985, May.22.2018
- Oct.02.2017: Iain Dale’s 100 most influential people on the Right 2017. Director of Economic Policy, Legatum Institute. An eloquent advocate of the advantages of free trade, it’s a shame that the government hasn’t been able to lure him to work for Fox or Davis. One of the small number of economists who has been a trade negotiator, expect to hear a lot from him over the next few years. Conservative Home, Iain Dale
References
- ^ a b The Definitive Story Of How A Former Washington Lobbyist Became “The Brexiteers’ Brain”. Alex Spence, BuzzFeed News, May.22.2018.
- ^ Trade and Agriculture Commission membership announced. Press Release, Gov.uk, Jul.10.2020.