Members of the UK’s House of Lords are working for a consulting firm hired as a lobbyist by the United Arab Emirates, Middle East Eye can reveal.
The Gulf state is widely accused of backing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, which has committed mass killings and widespread human rights abuses in Sudan’s civil war.
Thangam Debbonaire, the former Labour MP and shadow culture secretary, is one of three peers working in paid roles for FGS Global, a multinational consultancy. The firm has lobbied senior UK officials on behalf of the UAE since October, according to the UK’s Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.
The Conservative peer Ruth Porter, who served as deputy chief of staff to former prime minister, Liz Truss, is a managing director at the firm, while the non-affiliated peer and ex-advisor to David Cameron, Andrew Cooper, is a partner.
According to the register, FGS Global contacted "members of Parliament and their staff and senior civil servants" as part of a campaign involving "meetings, telephone calls and emails to promote awareness of the UAE-UK bilateral relationship with stakeholders".
