Media Intelligence Partners

Background

Media Intelligence Partners (MIP) is a London-based PR firm which works with an “international range of think tanks, companies, campaign groups, political figures and high net-worth individuals” to provide services including “public affairs” and “campaigns and advocacy”.¹

MIP has “earned a reputation as one of London’s most respected political consultancy and public relations firms” due to its “deep network of contacts in politics and the media”, according to its website.²

MIP says it was “at the heart of” the UK’s decision to leave the European Union and advised the groups Grassroots Out and Conservatives for Britain during the referendum.³ Since then, it has “worked closely” with senior Brexit-supporting ministers David Davis and Liam Fox and the pro-Brexit pressure group Leave Means Leave.⁴

Several of MIP’s clients have been based at 55 Tufton Street, home to a number of economically libertarian groups, including the TaxPayers’ Alliance and the UK’s principal climate science denial group, the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF).⁵

Other past MIP clients include the now-defunct free-market thinktank UK2020, founded by former Environment Secretary Owen PatersonUS conservative thinktank the Heritage FoundationLegatum Institute and Economists for Free Trade.⁶

MIP is chaired by Nick Wood who was Press Secretary and Media Director to Conservative Leaders William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith,⁷ having previously been Chief Political Correspondent at the Times and Political Editor of the Daily Express.⁸

Wood co-founded MIP in 2004 with Conservative MP and now Paymaster General Penny Mordaunt, and former Deputy Media Director to the Conservative Party, Nick Longworth.⁹ MIP’s team includes former staff at the BBC, the EU, and the George W. Bush administration.¹⁰

Nick Wood and MIP were previously listed as Directors of The Conservative Woman, alongside Kathryn Gyngell and Laura Perrins¹¹ and Wood was a regular contributor to the blog in 2014-2015.¹²

The Telegraph reported during the 2009 MPs’ expenses scandal that over £66,000 of public money had been spent on Media Intelligence Partners’ services by Conservative MPs in the preceding years.¹³

MIP is listed on the Tobacco Tactics website, run by the University of Bath, for its work providing communications services to Philip Morris International.¹⁴ Philip Morris has donated large amounts to the Koch-family’s Competitive Enterprise Institute and to Atlas Network organisations that promote misinformation about climate science.¹⁵ The cigarette company is not listed among MIP’s clients on its website.¹⁶

Nick Wood, and MIP CEO, Matthew Walsh, are part of the leadership team of the newly-founded pro-Brexit thinktank the Centre for Brexit Policy.¹⁷

Clients

MIP clients include organisations in the pro-Brexit 55 Tufton Street network, as well as other US and UK-based organisations that have links to or have promoted climate science denial. Current and former clients, as listed on MIP’s website, include:¹⁸

Civitas – Civitas is an educational thinktank based at 55 Tufton Street. Civitas Trustees include GWPF Advisor Sir Alan Rudge, and donor Lord Nigel Vinson.¹⁹ GWPF Trustee and Director, Ruth Lea, was also involved in Civitas as Director of their Manufacturing Renewal Project.²⁰ Civitas has published reports arguing against policies to tackle climate change. This includes a 2013 report by John Constable, which argued that a shift to renewables would “lower wages” in the energy sector and cause the economy to “stagnate”.²¹ Constable is an Advisor to the GWPF and the Energy Editor of its campaigning arm, the Global Warming Policy Forum.²² ²³ ²⁴

Leave Means Leave – MIP has worked with Leave Means Leave since the EU referendum to “make sure the instructions of British people are acted upon”.²⁵The group was co-founded by Chair of the Brexit Party, Richard Tice,²⁶ and former Director General of the British Chamber of Commerce, John Longworth. Its advisory board includes MPs Sammy Wilson and Owen Paterson. It is also based at 55 Tufton Street.²⁷

The Heritage Foundation – The Heritage Foundation is a US conservative thinktank founded in 1973. The Foundation has had a considerable influence on Republican Party policy since it was established.²⁸ Funders have included oil giant ExxonMobil, the Mercer Family Foundation and numerous groups tied to the Koch family. Liam Fox attended meetings with the Heritage Foundation during his time as International Trade Secretary.²⁹ Former Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has also attended US-based events at the thinktank.³⁰

Liam Fox – MIP’s website states that it has “advised and worked closely with” senior cabinet ministers with a Brexit-related role including former International Trade Secretary Liam Fox.³¹ Fox founded and chaired the thinktank Atlantic Bridge which had a partnership with the Heritage Foundation.³² DeSmog revealed Fox had held meetings with the conservative thinktank to discuss a US-UK Trade Deal shortly after his appointment as International Trade Secretary in 2016.³³

Economists for Free Trade (EFT) – EFT is a pro-Brexit group with strong ties to the 55 Tufton Street Network. GWPF Advisor Matt Ridley is an advisor to EFT³⁴ and EFT’s convener, Edgar Miller,³⁵ was an early donor, fundraiser and founder of the GWPF.³⁶

UK2020 – UK2020 was set up and chaired by Owen Paterson until its dissolution in 2019.³⁷ It advocated for a “robust energy policy” and greater use of technologies such as shale gas, extracted through fracking.³⁸ Matt Ridley, a GWPF Advisor and Paterson’s brother-in-law, was a policy advisor to the thinktank which was also based at 55 Tufton St.³⁹

Grassroots Out (GO) – Grassroots Out was co-founded by the Conservative MPs Peter Bone and Tom Pursglove.⁴⁰ Senior members of the MIP team were seconded to GO during the campaign and provided “high-level strategic advice to key spokespeople”. GO received support from senior Brexit-supporting politicians including then UKIP leader Nigel Farage, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Sammy Wilson, Labour MP Kate Hoey and Liam Fox.⁴¹