Government Departments Help Launch Hard-Brexit Thinktank, Emails Show

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How cosy is the relationship between free market ideologues pushing for greater deregulation and the government? Very, it turnsย out.

The IFT (formerly the Institute for Free Trade), a hard-Brexit thinktank tied to the UKโ€™s climate science denial network enjoyed strong support from two government departments ahead of its launch at the Foreign Office at the end of last year, internal emailsย show.

The IFT describes itself as a โ€œprivate, not-for-profit, non-partisan research foundationโ€ advocating โ€œunrestricted commerce both with the EU and with the rest of theย worldโ€.

It is based at 57 Tufton Street, sharing an office with the anti-renewables thinktank the Centre for Policy Studies, and next door to organisations at the heart of a UK climate science denial network working out of 55 Tuftonย Street.

Last year, IFT president the Tory MEP Daniel Hannan attended an event by the Heritage Foundation โ€” a US think tank known for opposing climate action and environmentalย regulations.

Documents previously obtained by Greenpeaceโ€™s investigative unit UnEarthed by freedom of information request were released in full by the Foreign Office (FCO) . They show how the IFT used its close relationship with key political figures in the FCO and the Department for International Trade (DIT) to organise its launch, push its messages to the media, and control the narrative coming out of its launch eventย .

The IFT launch made waves last September after it was revealed foreign secretary Boris Johnson waived the usual fee for a room hire in the FCO building arguing the think tank supported governmentย policies.

Foreign Office โ€˜formal hostโ€™ of IFTโ€™sย event

The documents exposing the circumstances around the IFTโ€™s launch show theย connections between right-wing pro-Brexit groups and climate science denial networks continue to be exploited for political purposes. They raiseย serious questions over the potential influence of think tanks such as the IFT over governmentย policy.

Both Johnson and trade secretary Liam Fox are known to have ties with right-wing networks themselves linked with organisations and individuals spreading climate science disinformation. Both Johnson and Fox made speeches at theย event.

The documents show the Cabinet Officeโ€™s ethics director had raised concerns about Johnsonโ€™s decision to spare the think tank the ยฃ6,000 fee for using a FCO room, as UnEarthed revealed. The FCO confirmed that the IFT was not charged retrospectively for theย event.

Internal FCO emails about the IFTโ€™s launch also show Johnsonโ€™s special advisers were highly involved in the eventโ€™sย organisation.

A day after the launch, special adviser David Frost thanked the FCO team for their work in helping to organise the event, recognising โ€œhow much work goes into something like this, especially when quite so many people show up on theย nightโ€.

โ€œThe launch event has I hope reminded everyone of why we all benefit [from free trade],โ€ heย added.

A summary of the event published by the FCOโ€™s trade diplomacy unit clearly statesย that โ€œmuch of it [the launch] has been arranged through political channels by SpAds [Specialย Advisers].โ€

The cosy relationship between the IFT and Johnsonโ€™s office is highlighted by a letter between the thinktankโ€™s presidentย Hannan and the foreignย secretary.

In an email dated 4 April 2017, Hannan thanked Johnson for offering the premises of the FCO as venue for the event. He then told Johnson โ€œobviously, we’d want you to speak; no-one does it betterโ€ and offered to organise the event around hisย availabilities.

โ€œWe want to be visibly supporting the government’s agenda rather than simply being another think tank,โ€ Hannanย said.

The event was also used as an opportunity for Johnson to meet someย foreign dignitaries andย diplomats.

In an email to Frost, the FCOโ€™s Trade Diplomacy Unit said Johnson โ€œshould particularly aim to have a few words with โ€ฆโ€ฆ [names redacted] and Ajay Sharma, HMA [Her Majestyโ€™s Ambassador] Doha, plans toย attendโ€.

โ€˜Boris is the pull letโ€™s faceย itโ€™

Correspondence between special advisers suggest both the FCO and the DIT were keen to publicly show their support for the think tank โ€” even bickering for theย credit.

However, two days before the IFTโ€™s launch, an email from the FCOโ€™s Trade Diplomacy Unit to the departmentโ€™s special advisers said: โ€œWe do no see this as a major media opportunity and are emphasising this as an IFT not an FCOย event.โ€

That soon changed. In an email to other FCO advisers, Frost stressed: โ€œFormally, we [the FCO] are the hosts and the event was set-up via us not DIT.โ€ย ย 

Separately, Frost added the event was taking place thanks to โ€œthe courtesy of the FCOโ€ and that โ€œBoris is the pull letโ€™s face itโ€ although the event would be a โ€œbooster eventโ€ for the DIT.

For its part, the DITโ€™s own media strategy included a commitementย to โ€œtweet our support for the formation of the IFTโ€.

The involvement of both departments was such that the IFT asked whether the FCO logo could be added to the event invitation. Documents show FCO advisers recommended against the use of the departmentโ€™s logo, citing concerns over the fact that it would have to include the DITโ€™s logo asย well.

Instead, the wording of the invitation card was agreed to read โ€œDaniel Hannan MEP invites you to the launch of the institute for free trade with foreign secretary Boris Johnson and trade secretary Liamย Fox.โ€

A single press release signed by the IFT, the FCO and the DIT was also sent out to promote the thinktankโ€™sย event.

Other senior cabinet members including environment secretary Michael Gove and Penny Mordaunt, then work and pensions minister,ย wereย invited.

Mediaย censorship

The documents also shed some light on how the IFT and FCO hoped to steer the media coverage of the event to emphasise support for the thinktankโ€™s unregulated free tradeย agenda.

Emails show โ€œnotable media attendeesโ€ including Tom Newton Dunn, political editor at The Sun, and Charles Moore from The Telegraph were among few journalists friendly to the IFTโ€™s agenda invited to theย launch.

Other โ€œfriendliesโ€ including Brexit Central, The Telegraph,The Mail, The Express and The Sun would be briefed in advance with sections of Foxโ€™sย speech.

Emails reveal that despite increasing media interest, the IFT refused to allow other publications to attend the launch. The final media guest list was nearly entirely redacted in the documents obtained by freedom of informationย request.

A separate email from the FCOโ€™s media office,ย stated that broadcast media including both Sky News and the BBC were refused access to theย launch.

In a joint response, the DIT and the FCO told DeSmog UK: โ€œThe IFT event expressly fulfilled a key objective of HMG policy โ€“ the championing of global free trade. Politicians were invited from parties from across the political spectrum, as were a range of other guests (diplomats, think tankers,ย etc).

โ€œThe government will continue to make the case for free trade to help provide economic stability and lift millions out of poverty, whilst increasing productivity and offering consumers betterย choices.โ€

Image Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr/CC BYSAย 2.0

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