Scotland’s most influential public relations companies are staffed by former politicians, government ministers, spin doctors and newspaper editors, The Ferret has found, exposing the “revolving door” between politics, the media and lobbying.
These well-connected figures are now being paid to represent the interests of the UK’s largest businesses including fossil fuel and energy multinationals, big finance, and arms firms.
Lobbying is a normal part of the democratic process, allowing businesses and civil society alike to raise issues with elected representatives. A move to public relations consultancy from journalism or politics is considered standard by many in the industry.
Parliamentary rules aim to prevent former ministers and senior civil servants from lobbying for two years after leaving these roles. But they are free to work as corporate lobbyists thereafter. The Ferret has not found any examples of any Scottish firm breaking these rules.
Tom Brake, of Unlock Democracy, called for the ban to be extended from two to five years after leaving office or employment. The “revolving door” between government and PR “gives these firms, and their clients, an unfair advantage,” he said, “particularly when a former elected official or special advisor walks away with a detailed understanding of important processes such as procurement rules or an extensive list of favoured contacts.”
Agustina Olivieri, head of campaigns for the Good Law Project, said the revolving doors between Holyrood and corporate interests were “spinning as smoothly as ever” and “glaring loopholes” should be closed. Politicians should listen to those with “real policy expertise based on a social justice agenda” rather than “the dizzying spin of corporate lobbyists pushing for tax cuts or shilling for oil and gas barons,” she argued.
Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman said there was a culture of “groupthink, of chumminess and game-playing” that led an already disenfranchised public to become more frustrated. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer only 30 percent of people in the UK reported trust in the government in 2024.
“Politicians should always seek to further the interests of their constituents and of Scotland as a whole. We cannot do that if the means to get there only involves a select few in the same echo chamber,” she added.
As part of its Who Runs Scotland series, The Ferret has profiled five of Scotland’s most influential PR and lobbying firms to see who’s behind them and who they represent.
Profile key
Revolving doors score:
We’ve given the PR firms below a “revolving doors score”, which is calculated as follows:
Founder (past or present) is a political or media figure = 2 points (3 points if both)
Current associate is a political or media figure or has worked for a client = 1 point
Lobbying figure:
This is the number of times the company has lobbied in Scotland since the last Scottish Parliament election.
Arden Strategies
HQ: Motherwell
Founder: Jim Murphy
Established: 2015
Murphy is part of the Labour establishment. He served as the MP for East Renfrewshire (formerly Eastwood) from 1997 to 2015 and held multiple cabinet roles including secretary of state for Scotland. In the run-up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum Murphy undertook a pro-union tour of the country – in which he substituted Irn Bru crates for the traditional soap box – which was suspended following abuse from Yes supporters. Elevated to Scottish Labour leader following the referendum, he resigned following the party’s collapse at the 2015 Scottish election where they lost 40 out of 41 seats, including his own.
In the early days of Arden Strategies – which takes the name of the Glasgow housing estate where Murphy was born – Better Together campaign director Blair McDougall worked with Murphy as a “senior strategist”. McDougall, a former Labour party advisor, worked there until his successful bid for Murphy’s former East Renfrewshire seat in last July’s election.
Murphy has filled Arden Strategies with Labour insiders. Former Scottish Parliament presiding officer Ken Macintosh is a consultant at the firm, which runs a dedicated Scotland directorate aimed at preparing business clients for next year’s Holyrood elections. But it only has two meetings logged on the Scottish lobbying register – both from an event at the Scottish Labour ‘business day’ where Murphy discussed Scottish business with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and MSP Daniel Johnson.
Until now Arden’s focus has been on the UK Government and the consultancy has sponsored Labour’s UK-wide conferences and pitches itself as a bridge between corporate clients and the party, promising to help them “navigate and engage” with Labour policies. Arden also reportedly sponsored fundraising dinners for 2024 candidates.
Clients: Arden declared defence contractor Northrop Grumman as a client in 2024. This drew criticism due to the US firm’s involvement in the supply of weapons to Israel. The company has had multiple licences with the UK Government to supply components for military equipment, according to Campaign Against the Arms Trade data. Arden reportedly hosted an event for Northrop Grumman at last year’s Labour conference in Liverpool.
Murphy’s firm has also represented several North Sea oil and gas companies, such as Equinor, the Norwegian-state owned energy company behind the controversial Rosebank oil field bid off the coast of Shetland. Equinor met with Ian Murray, secretary of state for Scotland, three times in his first six months in post. INEOS, the petrochemical company led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe which caused outcry over its role in the decision to close the Grangemouth oil refinery, has also been an Arden client and met Murray four times in his first half year as Scottish secretary.
Revolving doors score: Founder is a former MP, 19 staff have worked in politics (mostly for the Labour party) and one in journalism.
Total score = 22
Lobbying meetings in Scotland: 2
Lobbying in the UK: Yes
From their website: “With a team of strategists and advisers drawn from the worlds of politics, government, media and business we bring together decades of senior front line experience and exceptional insights to tackle the toughest challenges.”
Quantum Communications
HQ: Edinburgh
Established: 2018
Founders: Alan Roden and Flavia Paterson
This communications agency brings together Scottish and UK political insiders. They include Alan Roden, Scottish Labour’s former communications director who was also a senior advisor to a number of Labour politicians. Prior to that he was Scottish political editor of the Daily Mail. Flavia Paterson, meanwhile, was director of communications for the Scotland Office when it was run by David Mundell. Her previous business roles include head of corporate affairs for energy giant SSE.
Clients: Notable clients include fish farming industry body Salmon Scotland. Last June The Ferret reported that the UK Government threw out more than 20 objections to the Scottish fish farming industry’s successful bid to remove the word “farmed” from the official name of its salmon. Quantum also represents whisky firm Chivas Brothers, Muir Mhor Offshore Wind Farm and charities like music project Sistema Scotland.
Revolving doors score: One founder has been in both journalism and politics, the other in politics, three staff are former journalists and three have worked in politics.
Total score = 11
Lobbying meetings in Scotland: 181
Lobbying in UK: Yes
From their website: “Working across the UK and led by a team with unrivalled frontline experience in media, government and the corporate environment, we provide trusted and effective advice to help you achieve your organisational goals.”
True North Advisors
HQ: Aberdeen
Established: 2020
Founder: Geoff Aberdein
True North is another PR firm with a name that’s meaningful to its founder, in this case taking the name of Geoff Aberdein’s late father’s fish merchant business. By the age of 24 Aberdein was head of press for the SNP’s Westminster cohort. He later became a special advisor to Alex Salmond and latterly his chief of staff.
In 2022 Aberdein was joined by Fergus Mutch, former head of communications and research for the SNP. Aberdein and Mutch are now True North’s managing partners. Other notable additions to the team include former SNP MP Eilidh Whiteford, and Andrew Liddell, political author and commentator and son of former Labour advisor, Lord Roger Liddell. Ryan Crighton, who recently joined as a senior partner also worked for Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, which is a True North client.
Aberdein is also one third of political podcast Holyrood Sources, which describes itself as being for “sensible people”, which he presents along with Andy Maciver, of rival PR firm Message Matters, and Calum Macdonald of Times Radio. The podcast is currently sponsored by energy company SSE, takes a pro-business stance and has covered concepts backed by True North and Message Matters clients, such as carbon capture and storage.
Clients: True North has several high profile fossil fuel companies as clients including BP, Shell and Harbour Energy. BP has recently faced criticism for abandoning targets to cut oil and gas output.
Opportunity North East (ONE), a private sector “catalyst for change” group in the Aberdeen area chaired by oil magnate Sir Ian Wood, has been a client. True North claims a “guerilla” PR campaign it ran helped secure the headquarters of GB Energy for Aberdeen. Sir Ian, formerly of the Wood Group, was one of those involved in the bid in his role as chairman of ETZ, which True North also represents.
ETZ is behind controversial plans to build green energy infrastructure in St Fittick’s Park, the last greenspace in Torry, one of Aberdeen’s most deprived areas. In recent months True North has lobbied the Scottish Parliament for Shell and ONE in the Scottish Parliament too. They have also represented Scottish Financial Enterprise.
Revolving door score: Founded by a former political advisor, while three former journalists and three who have worked in politics work there. Three staff have worked for clients, one of whom was also a former journalist.
Total score = 10
Lobbying meetings in Scotland: 42
Lobbying in UK: Yes
A True North spokesperson said: “True North is a strategic advisory firm whose expert advisors draw upon the experience of successful careers in international business, marketing, creative design, events management, media, public policy, and politics. We are proud to be a Scottish headquartered company delivering support to a wide range of leading businesses and organisations across the UK spanning the energy, financial services, food and drink, technology, housing and third sectors.”
Message Matters
HQ: Edinburgh
Established: 2012
Founders: Peter Duncan and Andy Maciver
Message Matters was set up by former Conservative MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale Peter Duncan, and former Scottish Tory head of media, Andy Maciver.
In 2018 Duncan was revealed to be a trustee of the Scottish Unionist Association Trust (SUAT), which was accused of having funded the Scottish Conservatives with “dark” – or untraceable – money. At the same time he was lobbying Tory MSPs. SUAT has claimed the money was made with assets primarily from property sales. However it was fined twice by the Electoral Commission for failing to properly report donations. Duncan resigned as a SUAT trustee in July 2018, to have “more separation” from his work lobbying politicians.
Maciver has also worked as an advisor to MSP Murdo Fraser and in communications for Lloyds Bank. He has a column in the Herald newspaper, makes regular media appearances and is one third of the Holyrood Sources podcast. Other staff for the agency include several who have worked as journalists or for politicians.
The consultancy is one of Scotland’s top lobbyists registering over 400 meetings with Scottish ministers, special advisors and MSPs on behalf of its clients since May 2021. It had more than 40 meetings in January and February of this year alone on issues including banning greyhound racing, and legislating for assisted dying.
Clients: These include familiar names like oil company Equinor, who are also clients of Arden Strategies. Scottish Land and Estates, which represents Scotland’s landowners, is also on its client list, as well as Rathbones – a London-based investment company – and several major renewables companies. It also represents campaign groups such as Dignity in Dying, which is calling for assisted dying to be made legal across the UK, and think tank Reform Scotland, whose director Chris Deerin is the Scotland editor of the New Statesman.
Revolving doors score: Both founders are from politics, and one of them also in the media. Two associates are former journalists and one has worked in politics.
Total score = 8
Lobbying meetings in Scotland: 424
Lobbying in UK: Yes
From their website: “A strategic communications agency with a difference – we are proud to have supported and delivered for over 120 clients.”
Charlotte Street Partners
HQ: Edinburgh
Established: 2013
Founders: Malcolm Robertson and Andrew Wilson
When Malcolm Robertson and Andrew Wilson started working on Charlotte Street Partners in 2013, Alex Salmond’s SNP Government was riding high and the independence referendum was within sight. Wilson started his career as an economist – including a role for the Scottish Government before becoming an MSP – and clocked up PR experience as a communications chief at the Royal Bank of Scotland. He had worked as a deputy chief economist for the bank from 2005 to 2007.
He brought his banking contacts with him to Charlotte Street, with the late Sir Angus Grossart, merchant banker and vice chairman of RBS, becoming chair of Charlotte Street Partner’s board by August 2014 until his death in 2022.
Malcolm Robertson had headed up communications for BAA (British Airports Authority).
In 2015 Wilson and Robertson were joined by Kevin Pringle, Alex Salmond (and then Nicola Sturgeon’s) former chief advisor. Pringle later returned to the Scottish Government as a special advisor under Humza Yousaf’s premiership. He has since joined SSEN Transmission as head of communications.
Wilson is now head of communications for Santander, having left Charlotte Street Partners in 2023. Its current stable includes managing partner Laura Hamilton, who has a background in banking PR for TSB and Lloyds, and Frank O’Donnell, former editor-in-chief of The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Press & Journal, amongst other titles.
In 2019 the firm had its membership of PR industry body the Association for Scottish Public Affairs revoked when they employed Lord Ian Duncan, a Scottish politician then serving as a deputy speaker in the House of Lords as a part-time consulting partner. Charlotte Street Partners insisted at the time of appointment he would not be involved in lobbying.
Clients: Charlotte Street has not registered any clients with the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists which means there are no public filings of its client list and it does not give details on its website.
However recent companies it has lobbied the Scottish Government on behalf of include renewable company Green Cat Hydrogen, charity Muscular Dystrophy UK and tidal energy company Orbital Marine. Previous businesses it has represented include FirstGroup, News Scotland, publishers of The Scottish Sun, The Times, and Sunday Times in Scotland and AG Barr, the maker of Irn-Bru.
Revolving doors score: One original founder was from politics. Two of the current staff worked in politics and three were journalists. One part-time advisor sits in the House of Lords.
Total score = 8
Lobbying in Scotland: 29
From their website: “As a strategic communications and public affairs agency based in Edinburgh, we deliver reputation advice and services to leaders with a mission, who want to make a difference.”
Some notable others
Other significant PR firms include Media House International, founded by Jack Irvine, launch editor of the Scottish Sun, which specialises in crisis PR. Former Fleet Street journalist Ramsay Smith is an executive director and John McLellan, former Scotsman editor and current director of Newsbrands Scotland is an associate. McLellan was also Ruth Davidson’s spin doctor.
56 Degrees North, a company co-founded by former business journalist John Penman and former lobbyist Anthony Thompson, includes several former special advisors and other journalists. There’s also Gen Comms, which was founded by former Scottish Conservative comms chief and UK Government special advisor, Ramsay Jones. Morrison Media was set-up by John Morrison, ex-BBC News chief political correspondent. Both are registered for UK lobbying.
Last October ex-SNP MP Stewart Mcdonald set up Regent Park Strategies. Its website does not yet list clients but features a clutch of endorsements by sitting and recent MPs. The Big Partnership, 3×1, Pagoda PR and Orbit are other Scottish companies currently registered for UK Government lobbying, all of whom boast former journalists or politicians in their ranks.
On the not-for-profit side, Unity Consulting is run by former Labour MSP Neil Findlay, Jeremy Corbyn special advisor Tommy Kane and Michael Sharpe, former Labour general secretary. Based in West Lothian, the firm represents unions, charities and campaign groups.
