EUK Consulting

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EUK Consulting is a European public affairs consultancy that was founded in 2000 and has a long history of working with tobacco companies.
It has offices in London and Brussels.

Background

Staff: Past & Present

  • John Roberts – Founder, based in the London office, has 30 years’ experience as a public affairs adviser.1 In 1993 he joined Philip Morris UK & Ireland, and four years later he was appointed Vice President responsible for EU Government Relations and the EU Institutions in Brussels.
  • David Bertram – Director, based in the London office, has 20 years’ experience in public affairs. He joined Philip Morris UK & Ireland as Corporate Affairs Manager in 1996, then worked in the EU Region Headquarters of Philip Morris International (PMI), and was later appointed its Director of Public Affairs for Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Bertram joined EUK in 2001.
  • Sean Murray – Director, based in the Brussels office, has over 20 years’ experience in public affairs, including over a decade with PMI. He joined the tobacco company in 1991 handling media relations, internal communications and lobbying, and was appointed PMI’s Director EU Government Relations in 1999.2 He joined EUK in 2003 to set up its Brussels office.

Long-Standing Relationship with BAT

British American Tobacco (BAT) has been an EUK Consulting client since the consultancy was set up in 2000.3456
According to EUK Consulting’s entry on the EU Transparency Register, BAT is one of its biggest clients with the contract being worth between €200,000 and €299,999 in 2018.7
Previously, EUK Consulting also worked for BAT subsidiary Nicoventures.8

BAT’s European CSR Initiative

EUK Consulting has worked with other lobbying firms such as BXL Consulting, along with communications agency Morris And Chapman and auditing firm Bureau Veritas to work on BAT’s EU corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme and its BATresponsibility.eu website.910
See also: CSR Strategy

Cash to British Political Parties

Records of the British Electoral Commission show that EUK Consulting regularly donated to British political parties up to 2010, mainly to those in power at the time.11
A search for ‘EUK Consulting’ in the Electoral Commission’s database on political parties’ income, conducted on 29 February 2019, revealed 25 EUK Consulting donations between 2003 and 2010:

  • Between 2003 and 2009, EUK Consulting gave £82,675 in 20 different donations to the British Labour party, whilst they were in Government.
  • In 2009, ahead of the May 2010 General Election, EUK Consulting gave three donations totalling £10,850 to the Conservatives. This was followed by another donation of £10,000 two months after the Conservatives won the Election.
  • In 2009 EUK also gave a £3000 donation to the Liberal Democrats.

Cash and Gifts to British Members of Parliament

EUK Consulting, also up to 2010, gave donations to individual Members of Parliament (MPs):

  • In February 2010, a £750 donation / hospitality to Conservative MP Christopher Chope, for himself and his wife at a Conservative Party function in Battersea Park.12
  • In August 2009, a donation of £3000 to Liberal Democrat MP Nick Clegg.13
  • In 2000, provided hospitality to Labour MP George Foulkes and his wife to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.14

Also see: Tobacco Industry Hospitality for UK Politicians.

Networking with the London Mayor’s Office

In June 2010, the late Sir Simon Milton, the Deputy Mayor and Boris Johnson’s chief of staff, attended a 10th anniversary reception at EUK Consulting.15 The year before, John Roberts from EUK Consulting had bought Milton lunch.16

TobaccoTactics Resources

Relevant Link

EUK Consulting website

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References

  1. ↑EUK Consulting, The EUK London Team, undated, accessed February 2019
  2. ↑EUK Consulting, The EUK Brussels Team, undated, accessed February 2019
  3. ↑EUK Consulting, Our Current Clients, undated, accessed February 2019
  4. ↑APPC, Register for 1st December 2017 – 28th February 2018, PRCA website, accessed February 2019
  5. ↑APPC, Register for 1st September 2017 – 30th November 2017, PRCA website, accessed February 2019
  6. ↑Public Affairs Board, Register for 1st June 2018 – 31st August 2018, PRCA website, accessed February 2019
  7. ↑EU Transparency Register, EUK Consulting, last updated 24 December 2018, accessed February 2019
  8. ↑EUK Consulting, Our Clients, 2013, archived 18 March 2013, accessed February 2019
  9. ↑British American Tobacco, BATresponsibility.eu, website, last accessible date 23 October 2012, via the web archive
  10. ↑Corporate Europe Observatory, Obscured by the Smoke, 2 June 2009, accessed February 2019
  11. ↑Electoral Commission, Online database of political parties’ and other campaigners’ income and spending, accessed February 2019
  12. ↑House of Commons, The Register of Members’ Financial Interests: Part 1 As at 6th September 2010, Chope, Christopher, 3 February 2010, accessed February 2019
  13. ↑House of Commons, The Register of Members’ Financial Interests Part 1, 10 December 2009 accessed February 2019
  14. ↑House of Commons, The Register of Members’ Financial Interests 2000, accessed February 2019
  15. ↑Greater London Authority, Gifts and Hospitality Mayoral Staff Appointments 28.05.2010 – 18.11.2010, accessed February 2019
  16. ↑Greater London Authority, Gifts and hospitality register – Sir Simon Milton – 2008-9, archived 26 November 2010, accessed February 2019

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