Human rights shadow over Blair links to Gulf states
Former PM’S think tank under scrutiny for services to oppressive regimes such as Bahrain and UAE
SIR TONY BLAIR’S think tank is being paid to advise countries with poor human rights records as it expands its global influence.
The former prime minister’s Institute for Global Change has forged an arrangement with the authoritarian government of Bahrain, for which it is reimbursed, despite the Gulf state’s history of political oppression.
It has also offered paid advice to the UAE and continues to work with the Saudi government in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Over the past year, reports suggest the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) saw a 50 per cent rise in its income from foreign governments.
In Bahrain, it has started supporting a “modernisation programme”, similar to its work in Saudi Arabia, where it is helping to craft Vision 2030, a scheme devised to shift the economy away from its long-standing reliance on oil.
Bahrain, a Sunni Muslim-ruled state, has a long history of discriminating against its Shia Muslim population, which makes up the majority of the country’s 1.4 million people.
Since an anti-government uprising in 2011, it has jailed thousands of people, including opposition leaders, sometimes in mass trials.
The TBI has also offered both paid and free advice to the UAE. This includes “pro bono” support with Cop28, hosted this year by the federation, in a bid to drive “meaningful change”.
The Times, which first reported the Cop28 links, as well as the organisation’s arrangement with Bahrain, cited a briefing note prepared for the summit’s president, Sultan Ahmed al-jaber, ahead of a meeting with Sir Tony in September.
The UAE, which consists of seven emirates ruled by sheikhs, has long been on the back foot over its human rights record.
It has been accused of regular abuses, including using the notorious Pegasus spyware produced by Israel’s NSO Group to target activists. It has always denied the claims.
The Daily Telegraph first revealed in 2018 that the TBI had been advising the Saudi government as part of a £9 million “not-for-profit” arrangement.
In August, it emerged that the think tank still works with the state in the wake of Khashoggi’s murder. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler, was accused of ordering the 2018 killing but he has vehemently denied the claim, insisting it was the work of rogue Saudi agents.
It comes as Britain is aiming to strengthen its ties with the kingdom as it seeks to attract investment from the oil-rich Gulf following Brexit. Rishi Sunak met Prince Mohammed on the margins of the G20 summit in Bali in 2022, where No 10 said the leaders discussed social reforms and civil liberties – but not the murder of Mr Khashoggi.
A TBI spokesman said: “We work with the government of Bahrain, where, like our work elsewhere, we are supporting a modernisation programme in which we strongly believe.
“Yes, we do work with the UAE and as is well known we have an office there. On Cop28, TBI is committed to helping countries which are exposed and vulnerable to adverse climate impacts to create a more resilient future and pursue net zero at an achievable pace.”