Tony Blair Associates (TBA) was 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 went towards supporting Blair's "work on faith, Africa and climate change".[3] The firm was closed down in September 2016.[4]
| Formation | December, 2008[1] |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | September 2016 |
| Location | |
Region served | Worldwide |
| Leader | n/a |
| Website | www |
History
edit
Blair, with his Quartet and TBA roles, worked with the Kazakh government, advising the regime on judicial, economic and political reforms.[5]
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]
Criticism
editBlair was 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,[7][8][9] and a number of prominent critics even called for him to be sacked from his peace envoy role.[10]
Blair was subject to criticism after accusations of "whitewashing" the image and human rights record of the regime in Kazakhstan.[5] In particular, opposition activists published an open letter in a Kazakh newspaper, Respublika, claiming Blair would have "blood on his hands" if he did not stop assisting President Nursultan Nazarbayev.[citation needed] Blair responded to such criticism by saying his choice to advise the country was an example of how he could "nudge controversial figures on a progressive path of reform" and stated that he received no personal profit from this advisory role.[11] The Kazakhstan foreign minister said that the country was "honoured and privileged" to be receiving advice from Blair.[12][13]
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;[14] Blair described the report as "nonsense".[15]
References
edit- ^ "Tony Blair's (Private) Interests in The Secret World of Oil". Verso. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ^ Tony Blair Inc: a nice little earner[dead link] The Sunday Times, 22 February 2009
- ^ Nicholas, Watt (30 June 2013). "How Tony Blair paved way for first visit by serving British PM to Kazakhstan". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ Pickard, Jim (20 September 2016). "Tony Blair shuts down advisory firm that made him millions". The Financial Times. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- ^ a b Kerbaj, Richard; Ungoed-Thomas, Jon; Fortson, Danny (23 September 2012). "Blair in £16m deal with Kazakhs". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ Chazan, Guy. "Tony Blair to advise on Azerbaijan gas project". www.ft.com. Financial Times. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
- ^ 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
- ^ "An appeal to the Quartet on the Middle East to sack Tony Blair". theguardian.com. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ Nicholas, Watts (30 June 2013). "How Tony Blair paved way for first visit by serving British PM to Kazakhstan". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
- ^ Watt, Nicholas (30 June 2013). "Kazakhstan praises Cameron and Blair for helping improving country's image". theguardian.com. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ Swinford, Steven (30 June 2013). "Oil-rich Kazakhstan dictatorship boasts of British support". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ Milne, Seumas (2 July 2014). "Tony Blair to advise Egypt president Sisi on economic reform". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ Haaretz staff (3 July 2014). "Tony Blair denies he signed on as Egyptian president's adviser". haaretz.com. Retrieved 3 July 2014.