What was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s trade envoy role? | UK news
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of abuse of public office, focusing on his former role as Britain’s special representative for international trade and investment. He denies any wrongdoing. So what was this role?
What was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s role as trade ambassador?
The Duke of York, as he was then known, became the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment in October 2001. The role was described by UK Trade & Investment as “a comprehensive program of targeted commitments both in the UK and abroad to promote the interests of UK industry and the UK as a whole”.
Essentially, this role involved high-level lobbying as well as handling sensitive “confidential briefings” regarding investment opportunities. It required close coordination with the UK’s trade and diplomatic missions abroad.
Who appointed him?
He took up the post during Tony Blair’s government after retiring from the navy in July 2001. In 2011, No 10, then under a Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition, said the appointment was made “with the agreement of the then foreign secretary”. [Jack Straw] and secretary of trade and industry [Patricia Hewitt]”.
So it was supported by the Labor Party?
Not just Labor, no. When Mountbatten-Windsor faced calls to step down in 2011, there was still support from Conservative ministers. Then-Chancellor George Osborne said: “We trust him to do the job and we think he has done a good job in recent years. He has promoted British exports. What we want now is for everyone to support British exports and Prince Andrew has done that.”
Former trade minister Digby Jones later joined in, stating that Mountbatten-Windsor “put the country first”.
“It’s important that we as a business community use what he can do to actually make some profits, employ some people, pay some taxes,” the peer added.
Was Mountbatten-Windsor a controversial choice when she was first appointed?
It was. Even at the start of the new millennium, there were strong opinions among supporters and opponents of a man known for acting as the “playboy prince”.
In his book Entitled, author Andrew Lownie describes how former trade secretary Peter Mandelson helped Mountbatten-Windsor take on the role of the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment, while her then-brother Prince Charles tried to circumvent it.
“It has also been claimed that Prince Charles tried to block Andrew’s new role as a ‘disaster waiting to happen’ on the grounds that his brother could not be trusted not to embarrass him,” Lownie said. he wrote. “A palace source said the Prince of Wales was extremely concerned about Andrew’s playboy image: ‘He feels he cannot resist the temptation to mix business with pleasure. This is a high-profile appointment that requires tact and discretion.'”
Who did he meet in the role and why?
The role involved meetings with a number of British and international business leaders as well as foreign leaders, where he would mainly facilitate introductions. These may be useful to the layman and the interested, but relations with allegedly corrupt regimes, including Kazakhstan, have generated awkward publicity. This was particularly true when it was revealed that the Kazakh president’s son-in-law, Timur Kulibayev, had bought Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home at Sunninghill Park in 2007 for £3 million more than the claimed price.
However, Kazakh ties continued. In 2010 Mountbatten-Windsor met England’s BG Group three times in five weeks between 25 March and 28 April, including a meeting in Kazakhstan.
In March 2011, his links to Saif Gaddafi, the son of then-Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, led to calls for his removal.
Did Mountbatten-Windsor get paid for this work?
No. There was no salary for the task. However, expenses and travel expenses were paid; In 2011, one MP claimed it had “cost taxpayers around £4m over the last 10 years, excluding the costs of conservation officers”.
Looks like the job description could benefit the UK?
It may be, and there are various names who still serve as trade ambassadors in the UK. There are a number of parliamentarians who carry out duties specific to the region. Former cricketer Ian Botham has been appointed as England’s trade ambassador to Australia in 2021, although most of these roles are much less notable.
