Tony Blair Associates
| Formation | December, 2008[1]:{{{3}}} |
|---|---|
| Location | |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
Tony Blair Associates (TBA) is an umbrella organisation, established by Tony Blair to "allow him to provide, in partnership with others, strategic advice on a commercial and pro bono basis, on political and economic trends and governmental reform".[2] The profits from the firm go towards supporting Blair's "work on faith, Africa and climate change".[3]
Contents
History
Founded in December, 2008,[1]:{{{3}}} TBA's first client was Kuwait. The deal was reported to be worth £27 million for the company.[4]:{{{3}}}
Blair, with his Quartet and TBA roles, worked with the Khazakstan government, advising the regime on judicial, economic and political reforms.[5]:{{{3}}}
In June 2014, Blair was looking for an office Abu Dhabi to help attract middle-eastern business for TBA. By July, Blair had been hired to advise on the export of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe, a project being run by a consortium of companies led by BP.[6]:{{{3}}}
In September 2016, Blair formally announced that TBA was to be closed down,[7] and that all capital held by TBA was to be transferred to a new Not For Profit organisation, the Tony Blair Institute.[8]
Criticism
Blair has been subjected to criticism for potential conflicts of interest between his diplomatic role as a Middle East peace envoy, and his work with Tony Blair Associates,[9][10][11] and a number of prominent critics have even called for him to be sacked from his peace envoy role.[12]
Blair has been subject to criticism after accusations of "whitewashing" the image and human rights record of the regime in Khazakstan.[5]:{{{3}}} In particular, opposition activists have published an open letter in a Kazak newspaper, Respublika, claiming Blair would have "blood on his hands" if did not stop assisting President Nursultan Nazarbayev.[citation needed] Blair has responded to such criticism by saying his choice to advise the country is an example of how he can "nudge controversial figures on a progressive path of reform", and has stated that he receives no personal profit from this advisory role.[13] The Kazakhstan foreign minister has said that the country was "honoured and privileged" to be receiving advice from Blair.[14][15]
Blair was reported to have accepted a business advisory role with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, a situation deemed incompatible with his role as Middle East peace envoy;[16]:{{{3}}} Blair described the report as "nonsense".[17]:{{{3}}}
Consultants
- Jonathan Powell[18]:{{{3}}}
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Tony Blair Inc: a nice little earner The Sunday Times, 22 February 2009
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- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/news/entry/tony-blair-staff-announcement/
- ↑ http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/news/entry/statement-on-the-tony-blair-institute/
- ↑ Tony Blair's Byzantine world of advisers and lucrative deals The Daily Telegraph, 24 September 2011
- ↑ On the desert trail of Tony Blair's millions The Daily Telegraph, 24 September 2011
- ↑ The Wonderful World of Tony Blair
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