UK Policy Group
- No WP page or mentions
- https://ukpolicy.co.uk/, https://ukpolicy.co.uk/about/
An American Republican attack dog, UK Policy Group - initially registered as UK Rising Ltd - was established in Jan.2017 by two Republican lobbyists: Matt Rhoades, and Joe Pounder. ... ...
Politely termed "opposition research" but known to you and I as muck-racking, the practice of digging up damaging information on political or corporate rivals has long been a feature of US politics. Trump's favourite smear factory has now come to the UK.
The weaponisation of information in elections for the explicit purpose of defining a political opponent in the eyes of voters, increasing their ‘negatives’, depressing their support, and driving away potential voters – is not like ‘any other type of information-gathering’, as UK Policy Group's Joe Pounder says. He criticises the media for using terms such as “dark arts”, “peddling” and “salacious” to describe what he and his employees do for a living.
Democracy requires the free flow of opinions and debate; a robust political opposition; and a healthy media – all of which can be undermined by these types of opposition attacks. Also crucial to a functioning democracy is transparency, including public knowledge of the actors involved. And around UK Policy Group, there is none. The firm, which arguably looks like an alternative research arm of the Conservative Party, says that the current political turbulence in the UK makes it an ‘ideal location’ for Definers and any clients seeking to ‘influence public opinion’.
But who is paying UK Policy Group for these services? And which opponents are they being employed to target? Are they political, as well as corporate? And to what end: how are their tactics, honed by their US colleagues, influencing public debate in Britain? UK Policy Group
3D Global Affairs
In 2017, lobbying firm Dentons formed a strategic partnership with Definers, entitled "3D Global Affairs". Among the services offered at 3D Global Affairs would be "governmental relations and lobbying support to shape the environment" and "communications and rapid response professionals to direct the narrative".[1]
Definers Public Affairs
Rhoades and Pounder run a Republican lobbying firm in Washington called Definers Public Affairs. Both men are also closely associated with a US political fund ("super PAC"), called America Rising, with whom Definers share an office, and there is a well-oiled revolving door between the two. UK Policy Group was set up as the London office of this group. Definers and America Rising are both specialists in "opposition research". DeSmogBlog has all the info.
America Rising's sole reason for existence is to attack Democrat politicians.[2] Its biggest donor is hedge-fund billionaire and vulture capitalist Paul Singer, who is now taking aim at potential 2020 Democrat presidential candidates including Elizabeth Warren, Andrew Cuomo and Bernie Sanders, with the aim of attaching negative narratives to opponents early in the campaign cycle. It uses "trackers" to follow target Democrats around, filming their public appearances in a bid to catch them saying something that could be used now, or in the future, to undermine, or embarrass them.
Rhoades and Pounder originally registered UK Policy Group with Companies House as "UK Rising", aligning it with the political attack fund they co-founded rather than their commercial lobbying firm, "Definers Public Affairs". However, "UK Rising" underwent a name change to "UK Policy Group" in May.2017. The US lobbying firm also registered the web domain UKRising.co.uk.
Definers, like America Rising, also creates 'dossiers on opponents, competitors and agitators', which it then packages up in 'media-friendly formats' that can be used to influence public debates. Employees in the London branch are now being trained up in these skills by their American counterparts. UK Policy Group similarly promises to provide 'dossiers' on 'targets' that provide 'comprehensive, detailed analysis' of an opponent's record, background and views, information which, they say, can be used to shape stories in the media. UK Policy Group has said that its services will be aimed at private sector clients.
People
- Matt Rhoades founded the firm in Jan.2017, having co-founded America Rising Corp. in 2013 and Definers Public Affairs in 2015. ref
- Joe Pounder is a co-founder, as well as President of Definers Public Affairs, and a co-founder of America Rising. ref
- Andrew Goodfellow is Vice President. Director of Policy and Research for the Conservative Party (May.2015-Jun.2017). Previously a political adviser in the Conservative Research Department, where he specialised in opposition research. As well as working on the last two Conservative General Election campaigns, he has also worked in Parliament for a Conservative MP. WP mentions, ref
- Pelham Groom is a Director at UK Policy Group, where he heads up the media monitoring war-room. He joined UK Policy Group in July 2017 from CCHQ, having spent a year running the Conservative Party’s media monitoring operation. Transitioning to politics from the entertainment industry in Jan.2015, he has worked on 3 national election and referendum campaigns, 3 sets of local elections and 10 Westminster by-elections.
- Matthew van Horen is a Director (2017-). Previusly worked for Lynton Crosby's political strategists firm CTF Partners, as well as for the Conservative Party. Before moving to the UK from Australia, Matt was a political adviser to the Cabinet Minister for Natural Resources and Mines in Queensland and served in the Australian Army Reserves.
- James Caldecourt is a Director (2017-). Previously a Political Adviser in the Conservative Research Department, specialising in opposition research; was part of George Osborne's team while Chancellor of the Exchequer. James has worked on several national election and referendum campaigns in political, policy and operational roles.
- Louis McMahon is a Director. Previously worked in Parliament, including for 2 govt ministers. Prior to this Louis co-authored a criminal justice report at the Centre for Social Justice think tank.
- Sarah Pompei With over a decade of experience at the top levels of American politics and corporate America, Sarah has most recently launched her own Public Affairs consulting firm, POMPEI VIII, LLC. Previously worked as a Director on the Public Policy team at Lyft. Prior to Lyft, worked as a Director of Corporate Communications at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Earlier to her corporate work, she served as a communications lead for both of Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns, as Communications Director in US Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy’s office, as press secretary for Meg Whitman’s gubernatorial campaign, and worked with numerous political campaigns and organizations across the country.
Advisory Board
- Christopher Brannigan is on the advisory board, ref
Articles
- May.08.2018: Why has a Republican attack operation opened shop in the UK? And who is paying for their services? Tamsin Cave, SpinWatch.
- May.02.2018: Was a Tory PR firm behind a smear campaign against Grenfell’s MP? A PR firm run by Chris Brannigan, a former Downing Street staffer, claimed to be behind a series of media attacks on Labour MP for Kensington, Emma Dent Coad. Christopher Brannigan is on the advisory board of the UK Policy Group, a Tory-linked consultancy that bills specialists providing "research dossiers" on "opponents" with information on their "targets’ record, background and views". Adam Ramsay, openDemocracy.
- Oct.07.2017: Romney-linked lobbying firm to open London branch. Political consultancies eye UK expansion in anticipation of flood of Brexit-related work. Charlie Cooper, Politico.
- The UK Government 2016, http://newsroom.mwwuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/UK-Government-Chart-2016-April-update.pdf, MWWPR
- Dods Guide to 10 Downing Street, http://www.dodsinformation.com/system/files/protected/whitepaper/num102.pdf, Dods Information
References
- ^ Dentons announces strategic alliance to create 3D Global Affairs. Press Release, Dentons, Nov.30.2017.
- ^ Lobbyists: Brexit's Biggest Beneficiaries. ... Another new firm that promises to "shape public opinion" is UK Policy Group. It provides a very specialist service: opposition research, the practice of digging up damaging information on political, or corporate rivals. For a fee, it will create "dossiers on opponents, competitors and agitators", information that is then fed to the media and online to influence public opinion. Tamasin Cave, Unlock Democracy, Spinwatch, Sept.11.2018.