Tony Blair & Nick Clegg Hosted Private Dinner for Tech Bosses, UK Minister Attended

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair and ex-Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg recently hosted a private dinner that provided select technology entrepreneurs with exclusive access to a key UK minister. Official documents have brought this event to light, sparking discussions about influence within the tech industry and government policy.

Blair, a fervent advocate for the tech industry, organized the dinner through his political consultancy, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI). At the event, held in an opulent London hotel, he and Clegg – then a senior executive at Meta – brought together six prominent tech company leaders with Poppy Gustafsson, the government’s investment minister, whose role involves attracting foreign investment to Britain.

The Exclusive Dinner and Its Attendees

Blair’s long-standing belief in the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize public services is well-known. His consultancy consistently publishes policy papers emphasizing AI’s critical role in government. This exclusive “salon dinner” offered a unique forum for discussing the government’s evolving AI policies, as revealed by documents obtained under freedom of information legislation.

The January dinner at the five-star Corinthia hotel saw attendance from notable figures including:

• Lonne Jaffe, managing director of US venture capital firm Insight Partners.
• Alex Kendall, CEO of Wayve, a company focused on developing self-driving cars.
• Nigel Toon, head of Graphcore, a manufacturer of computer chips.
• Marc Warner, CEO of Faculty AI, which collaborated with TBI last year on a document outlining AI’s potential to enhance public services.

A spokesperson for Nick Clegg emphasized the nature of his role at Meta, stating:

“During his time at Meta Nick Clegg regularly met with government ministers and leaders from other tech companies. As the executive responsible for policy and global affairs that was literally his job.”

The Tony Blair Institute also issued a statement regarding the gathering:

“This event was a discussion about a range of issues between tech leaders with a minister in attendance. No company paid to attend.”

The companies present at the dinner confirmed that they had neither donated money to TBI nor engaged its services.

TBI’s Expanding Influence and Scrutiny

The dinner highlights the proactive approach of Blair’s consultancy in advancing his pro-technology agenda. TBI has experienced rapid growth, now operating in 45 countries with over 900 staff members. Its latest accounts show a total income of $145 million in 2022, generated from a combination of advisory fees and donations. However, the identities of many of its donors and clients remain confidential.

Critics have voiced concerns that TBI’s policy positions might be influenced by its donors’ commercial interests, an allegation the institute has denied. The consultancy also faced criticism for accepting funds from Saudi Arabia following the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Furthermore, Blair is reportedly poised to play a significant role in the reconstruction efforts of postwar Gaza.

Government Collaboration on AI Policy

Weeks prior to the dinner, the government shared a confidential summary of its action plan for artificial intelligence with TBI, ahead of its public release. On January 9, Feryal Clark, then a minister in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), initiated a conversation with Jakob Mokander, TBI’s science policy director.

The following day, Clark’s aide emailed Mokander, thanking him for the discussion and sharing the confidential summary, requesting TBI’s support in amplifying the plan’s publication. Mokander acknowledged the confidentiality. Blair subsequently endorsed the action plan, which seeks to expand the UK’s role in developing and deploying AI, upon its publication on January 13.

When questioned about providing TBI with early access to this document, a DSIT spokesperson responded:

“We make no apologies for regularly engaging with stakeholders. It is standard practice to share embargoed information with them ahead of announcements.”

The TBI spokesperson added:

“It is standard practice for governments to consult experts and engage a wide range of stakeholders when shaping policy. The AI opportunities action plan rightly drew on our published work, as the footnotes make clear.”