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Adam Werritty

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 188.223.6.168 (talk) at 00:06, 10 October 2011 (→‎The Atlantic Bridge: cite request). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Adam Werritty (born 18 July 1978 in Kirkcaldy, Fife)[1] is a close friend, business associate, and self-styled adviser of the current Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox.

He is a former flatmate of Fox and was best man at his wedding in 2005. Werritty and Fox were joint investors in the healthcare consultancy firm UK Health, and Werritty was appointed by Fox as the chief executive of the now disbanded charity The Atlantic Bridge. Werritty accompanied Fox on foreign business trips to Sri Lanka and Dubai in 2011, Israel in 2009, and in 2007, when Fox was then shadow Defence Secretary, they both attended a meeting with the Gulf Research Centre.[2][3] The uncertain nature of Werritty's business relationship with Fox led to an investigation by the MoD's Permanent Secretary, Ursula Brennan.[4]

The Prime Minister David Cameron has asked the Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell for the initial report of the MOD internal inquiry to be on his desk by Monday morning, 10 October 2011.[5]

Personal life

Werritty lives near Vauxhall Bridge, close to Parliament. His father Alan Werritty, born 1944 or 1945 [tbc], is a retired geography professor at the University of Dundee who lives with his wife Irene in St Andrews, Fife.[1]

Adam Werritty's friendship with Liam Fox began in the late 1990s, when Fox was an Opposition Front Bench Spokesman on Scotland & Constitutional Affairs and when Werritty was studying public policy at Edinburgh University. They had a shared interest in politics and the United States.[6]

After graduating with 2:2, Werritty left Scotland to start his own healthcare company, PPP. He lived in several places in London and stayed rent-free between 2002 and 2003 in Fox's flat in Southwark near Tower Bridge. Werritty was Fox's best man at his wedding in 2005.[7]

Ties to Liam Fox

Werritty has attracted attention for his close personal and business ties to Liam Fox. He lived in Fox's apartment in Southwark, London, during 2002 and 2003 and was best man at his wedding 2005. The property in which Werrity stayed rent freenwas mortgaged at £1400 per month and covered by Fox's Additional Costs Allowance (ACA), part of his MP's expenses.[8] In 2011, Werritty stayed with Fox at a villa in Spain during an August holiday break at the climax of the 2011 Libyan civil war.[9]

Werritty used business cards that characterised him as an "advisor [sp sic] to the Rt Hon Dr Fox MP" despite being warned not to do so.[10] Werritty has also made visits to the defence secretary at the MoD's HQ in Whitehall on 14 occasions in 16 months which led the Labour Party to request an inquiry into a possible national security breach.[11] Werritty, in his capacity as adviser to Fox, was able to arrange access to the minister for private sector companies on matters where they could both see commercial gains, despite denials of any role as an adviserr.[12]

Advisory role

In April 2007 and Werritty and Fox attended an official meeting with the Gulf Research Centre, an independently run body that conducts research on issues concerning the Middle East issues. The pair also attended an Israeli security conference centred on relations with Palestine and that took place in Herzliya in 2009. Werritty is listed in conference proceedings as an adviser to Fox.[13]

In June 2011 Werritty organised a business meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai. The meeting was attended by Werritty, Fox, the British private equity boss and CEO of the Porton Group Harvey Boulter, and two other Dubai-based businessmen.[14] The meeting included discussions about voice encryption software for the British MoD, and a legal battle between Porton Group and 3M concerning Acolyte,[15] a EU regulatory approved rapid detection technology for MRSA.[16] According to the Guardian details relating to the nature of the visit and the business matters discussed suggest that it was "highly irregular." The MoD has stated that there were no officials present at the meeting but that one of the attendees claims to have received the impression that all of those in attendance had been security cleared. But, Werritty did not have such clearance.[10] Werritty was contacted by a lobbying firm known as Tetra Strategy on behalf of Boulton in an attempt to have Fox intervene in a legal dispute between Porton Group and the MoD. This initial meeting with Werritty led to discussions with Fox in Dubai regarding the sale of a product called Cellcrypt to the MoD.[17]

Owing to the nature of his close relationship with Mr. Fox, questions have been raised about the appropriateness of Werritty's accompanying Fox on government trips abroad.[18] Fox had previously claimed that Werritty had never joined him on such trips but The Guardian reported on October 10, 2011 that the "self-styled adviser" met senior Sri Lankan ministers on an official visit in summer 2011.[19] The Sri Lankan trip was originally scheduled for December 2010 but a disagreement with the foreign secretary, William Hague, saw the visit changed to July despite allegations that the Sri Lankan government supported paramilitary groups in defeating the Tamil Tigers.

The Atlantic Bridge

Werritty was also responsible for operating a charity known as The Atlantic Bridge out of Fox's office at tax payers' expense. The rightwing charity works in conjunction with a major US business lobby group, the American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec), a major US lobbying organisation for corporations such as Philip Morris, Texaco and Mc Donalds. According to US charity records Werritty is listed as the UK executive director with an address corresponding to Fox's former room at the House of Commons. He operated the organisation from Fox's room, No. 341 in the MPs' block at Portcullis House, and it served as the charity's official headquarters. The Guardian reported that between 2007 and 2010, Werritty's income as chief executive of The Atlantic Bridge was in excess of £90,000. The charity was established by Fox to help US/UK relations and serve as a reminder of the Reagan-Thatcher era and Werritty was given a lead role. The charity also functioned as a counterpart to the Alec-founded Atlantic Bridge Group, a sister organisation in America. Following criticism by regulators that the charity was too politically oriented to be eligible for charitable status, the UK wing disbanded in September 2011.[3][18]

The Atlantic Bridge US group now dissociates itself from its former UK colleagues.[citation needed]

Businesses

Werritty is or has been a director of the following businesses:

  • Todiha Ltd - active
  • Danscotia Consulting Ltd - active
  • UK Health Ltd - active
  • Security Futures - dissolved
  • UK Health Supply Services Ltd - dissolved
  • UK Health Group Ltd - dissolved

[20]

UK Health Ltd

Liam Fox and Adam Werritty are both shareholders in this company.[21]

Security Futures

Companies House shows this company (registered number 05993984) as having been incorporated on 9 November 2006 and dissolved on 11 January 2011.

Laura Sandys, MP, was a director until 22 March 2010.

Iain Stewart, MP, was also a director until 22 March 2010.

References

  1. ^ a b "Liam Fox allegations: Defence minister under pressure over Adam Werritty's job". The Daily Mail. 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  2. ^ Liam Fox faces questions for allowing former flatmate access to MoD Rupert Neate, The Guardian, Tuesday 4 October 2011, Guardian News and Media Limited
  3. ^ a b 'Adviser' Andrew Werritty ran charity from Liam Fox's office Rupert Neate, Robert Booth, Rajeev Syal and Simon Bowers The Guardian, Friday 7th October, 2011, Guardian News and Media Limited
  4. ^ Watt, Holly (2011-05-31). "Liam Fox under increasing pressure over 'adviser' Adam Werritty". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  5. ^ Ben Geoghegan (2011-10-08). "PM demands Liam Fox MoD inquiry answers on Monday". BBC News. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  6. ^ "Liam Fox: I have nothing to hide over links with aide". The Daily Telegraph. 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  7. ^ "How the odd couple's relationship blossomed over more than a decade". The Independent. 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  8. ^ Liam Fox 'adviser' set up Dubai meeting with would-be defence contractor Holly Watt, and James Kirkup, The Telegraph, 0ctober 8th, 2011, Telegraph Media Group Limited
  9. ^ Barry Neild (2011-10-08). "Adam Werritty – Liam Fox's shadow becomes the man in the spotlight". The Observer. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  10. ^ a b Liam Fox faces further claims over best man Adam Werritty Robin Brant, BBC News, Saturday 8th of October, BBC.
  11. ^ Liam Fox had already been warned over Adam Werritty links Rupert Neate, The Guardian, Friday 7 October 2011, Guardian News and Media Limited
  12. ^ Fox feels heat as new claim casts doubt on MoD denial Oliver Wright, Whitehall Editor, The Independent, Saturday 8 October 2011.
  13. ^ Another two foreign trips for Dr Fox and his 'adviser' who was former flatmate Ian Drury, The Daily Mail, Saturday 8th October 2011, Associated Newspapers Ltd.
  14. ^ Liam Fox, his adviser, and an irregular meeting in Dubai Rupert Neate, The Guardian, Friday 7 October 2011, Guardian News and Media Limited
  15. ^ Jeffrey, Don (2011-06-20). "3M Sues Porton Capital, CEO Harvey Boulter Over 'Blackmail'". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  16. ^ Rupert Neate (2011-10-08). "Harvey Boulter: I met Adam Werritty in April 2011". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  17. ^ Fox feels heat as new claim casts doubt on MoD denial Oliver Wright, Whitehall Editor, The Independent, Saturday 8th of October 2011.
  18. ^ a b Liam Fox's ties to best man Adam Werritty under scrutiny BBC News, 7 October 2011.
  19. ^ Liam Fox was joined by former flatmate on official visit to Sri Lanka Rupert Neate and Nick Hopkins, The Guardian, Friday 7th October, 2011, Guardian News and Media Limited
  20. ^ "Mr Adam Mark Werritty - a free company director check". Company-director-check.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  21. ^ Toby Helm (2011-10-09). "Liam Fox, Adam Werritty, and the unexplained hotel meetings". The Observer. Retrieved 2011-10-09.

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