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LONDON — Britain’s foreign minister holidayed with a former lobbyist for the government of Gibraltar during a private trip to the contested territory last weekend.
U.K. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly shared the same hotel as Ahzaz Chowdhury, a well-connected Conservative lobbyist and longstanding family friend, during the visit to Gibraltar, which was not publicized by the British government.
While the trip did not breach any rules, transparency campaigners have raised concerns that details of informal relationships between lobbyists and U.K. ministers are often opaque and not sufficiently recorded. Chowdhury’s firm, Nudge Factory, has previously lobbied the U.K. government for projects on behalf of Gibraltar.
A spokesperson for the foreign secretary said Cleverly visited the island for a private family holiday — but that he did also meet with Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo during the trip. The governor of Gibraltar, David Steel, was also present at the meeting.
The foreign secretary stayed in the same hotel as Chowdhury, who had arrived on the island earlier in the week to holiday with the foreign secretary’s sons. But Cleverly’s spokesperson said Chowdhury had no involvement in arranging the visit or the meeting with officials.
When approached by POLITICO, Chowdhury said his paid work for the Government of Gibraltar, which included lobbying in the U.K. and assisting the administration with finding foreign investors, ended in January. He said he was currently planning to establish a new business venture on the island.
Chowdhury said he had never represented clients that would require him to lobby Cleverly directly, due to their close relationship, although he acknowledged he had made previous contact with the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in relation to a Gibraltar contract.
“I have previously sent one email to a civil servant in the FCDO to arrange a meeting between them and a senior civil servant from Gibraltar,” he said. “This meeting did not go ahead. And I ceased acting for that project as it was not feasible.”
Cleverly and Chowdhury’s friendship goes way back. Both of the foreign secretary’s children undertook work experience at Nudge Factory, which bills itself as offering “expert counsel to corporations, organizations, governments and private clients.” Chowdhury volunteered for an unpaid role on Cleverly’s 2019 campaign to become leader of Britain’s ruling Conservative Party.
Gibraltar National Day
The foreign secretary’s trip to the island coincided with celebrations on Sunday for Gibraltar National Day — which commemorates the 1967 referendum where voters chose to remain under British sovereignty.
While British parliamentarians are frequent guests at the annual event, Cleverly is the first serving foreign secretary to be present on the island during the celebrations. According to the Gibraltar Chronicle, Cleverly watched the event from a balcony and did not take part in any of the official proceedings or answer questions from the local media.
His private trip also comes amid protracted negotiations between Spain and the U.K. over the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar. Spain still contests sovereignty over the territory. The Spanish Embassy in London declined to comment on Cleverly’s trip.
A spokesperson for Cleverly said the foreign secretary had arranged the trip at his own expense and that departmental officials were “fully aware” of the visit.
“Mr Cleverly’s sons have done work experience for Mr Chowdhury’s company and were invited to spend Gibraltar National day in Gibraltar by Mr Chowdhury some time ago, before Mr Cleverly decided to visit,” they said.
“The family will of course see each other and Mr Chowdhury, a long-standing friend, but only in a private capacity.
“The foreign secretary has been a strong public supporter of Gibraltar and Gibraltarians for many years.”
George Havenhand, senior legal researcher at Spotlight on Corruption, stressed the need for transparency over ministerial visits, pointing out that the U.K.’s ministerial code “specifically requires any minister who discusses official business with someone on holiday to report any significant content back to their department.”
Current transparency rules, Havenhand added, mean there is “still not enough clarity around what amounts to official or significant business.”
He added: “Ministers have previously withheld lobbying information because they said it was not official, fueling concerns around secret lobbying.”
