Starmer adviser held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech bosses | Technology policy

An influential government adviser close to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves held 16 secret meetings with senior US tech executives, the Guardian has revealed.

No. 10 business adviser Varun Chandra discussed regulatory changes, artificial intelligence and Donald Trump’s second administration with tech companies in secret meetings between October 2024 and October 2025. At one meeting, he offered to help a senior executive meet directly with the prime minister.

Chandra’s deals with six major tech companies – Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Apple and Meta – come as the government develops policies to secure investment from Silicon Valley, including multimillion-pound energy subsidies and preferential planning approval for data centres, called for by ministers. AI growth zones.

Although little known outside Westminster, Chandra, who ran a corporate intelligence firm founded by former British spies before joining the government, is a central figure in Downing Street and a key proponent of the government’s economic growth drive.

Chandra’s role as chief business advisor to the prime minister was: This year, the mandate of the US trade envoy was expanded to includeThat he advises on trade negotiations, including AI investment.

Unlike senior civil servants and ministers, political consultants do not have to declare their interactions with private firms and lobbyists, although meetings are recorded by civil servants. It took 12 months for Chandra’s commitments under freedom of information rules to be approved.

Meeting records obtained by the Guardian offer the first glimpse into the work schedule of a powerful political operative who could connect company executives to the prime minister and chancellor. They raise questions about what one democracy advocate describes as “lobbying behind closed doors”.

A Downing Street spokesman said Chandra had helped secure a UK-US trade deal and “record” inward investment from American companies. The spokesman added: “Meeting with businesses is an essential and fully expected part of the prime minister’s role as business advisor.”

‘Barriers to businesses are being removed’

Chandra, who was appointed by Starmer shortly after Labor won the 2024 election, met with 13 senior executives, including Siobhan Wilson, the top UK executive at Oracle, founded by Trump ally Larry Ellison, and Amazon’s global affairs chief David Zapolsky.

Redacted minutes of those meetings show that Chandra agreed to help Wilson meet with Starmer, setting the stage for Starmer to meet with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, ​​who replaced the company’s founder Jeff Bezos in 2021.

The Labor Party’s push for artificial intelligence-led growth was a frequently talked about topic. Meta, Microsoft and Oracle executives scaled up AI, data centers and AI growth regions with Chandra.

The government believes US tech firms’ pledge to invest £150bn will boost the UK economy. The Guardian found last month that most of the deals were “phantom investments”, with existing data centers pitched as new builds and a site dedicated to a supercomputer remaining undeveloped. OpenAI paused a multi-billion pound plan for a North Tyneside data center last month, blaming energy costs and regulations.

Regulatory reform was discussed in at least four meetings. Meta’s deputy chairman, former Republican official Joel Kaplan, who replaced former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, gave Chandra feedback on the “regulatory environment in the UK”.

At the beginning of 2025, Chandra discussed the government’s “commitment to removing barriers to businesses” with three Apple executives, including Matt Browne, who oversees the company’s relations with governments in Europe.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the same day that Chandra met Apple executives. instructed business watchdogs to reduce anti-growth regulations As part of an overhaul reportedly inspired by job assistant #10. The shakeup led to the sacking of Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) chief Marcus Bokkerink, who was preparing to use new powers to break up tech duopoly and monopolies.

Reeves later said he had received positive feedback since “getting rid of” Bokkerink, adding: “Previously businesses, particularly in the tech space, were constantly voicing their concerns about the CMA. This has changed a lot.”

Trump’s presidency came up in two meetings with Microsoft vice president Brad Smith. The two discussed Trump’s priorities at a private meeting of political and business elites in Davos early last year. Chandra then briefed Smith on Trump’s unprecedented second state visit to the United Kingdom.

Rose Zussman, senior advocacy director at anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, said the meetings should be considered lobbying and raised serious questions about accountability: “Lobbying behind closed doors allows outside interests to influence our policies without public scrutiny.”

Rising star in government

Chandra is one of Labour’s best-connected business advisers and has a contact book that few can match. His former firm Hakluyt won’t disclose its client list but boasts advises some of the world’s largest companies. He left the London-based company, playfully dubbed a retirement home for secret service agents, to join the government two years ago, but still owns more than 300,000 shares in the companyThat’s according to accounts published at Companies House in April.

star player hired chandra Soon after the party’s general election victory to deepen its ties with corporate executives and international investors.

Chandra is highly respected by Starmer and his stock has risen further since he helped negotiate a trade deal with the Trump administration. He is one of the few survivors of the relentless civil unrest at No 10 and even interviewed the prime minister for the vacant US embassy. The job was eventually given to a career diplomat, but Starmer rewarded Chandra with the role of US trade envoy.

Chandra’s connections to the corporate world sometimes spark controversy. Hakluyt was criticized after it was revealed he was trying to find a private sector buyer for Thames Water despite advising the company.

The Guardian lodged four freedom of information requests over 12 months seeking details of Chandra’s external meetings with six top US tech companies.

The Cabinet Office refused to say whether Chandra had held meetings with other companies and claimed the Guardian’s request for all external meetings was “vexatious” and required “heavy amounts of resources” to respond.

Transparency International’s Zussman said multiple FoI requests should not be taken to reveal who is trying to influence government decision-making. He said: “We need a comprehensive register of lobbying that is fit for purpose, and external meetings with special advisers and other senior officials need to be included in the definition of lobbying activity.”

Chandra declined to comment, as did Google and Amazon. Other tech companies did not respond to the Guardian’s requests for comment.