Crosby Textor Group
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Crosby Textor Group, Tobacco Tactics, updated 04 February 2020, accessed 11 April 2024.
The Crosby Textor Group (‘the CT Group’) is an Australian campaign consultancy, founded in 2002 by Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor.12
In 2010, the firm opened a branch in London, United Kingdom (UK), known as Crosby Textor Fullbrook Partners (‘CTF Partners’), managed by Mark Fullbrook.
Background
Lynton Crosby has a long history of consulting for the Australian Liberal Party and the UK Conservative Party.
In June 2016, he led the unsuccessful campaign to replace outgoing UK Prime Minister David Cameron with Boris Johnson.3 Earlier that year, amid strong criticism, Crosby received a knighthood “for his service to politics”.4
Mark Fullbrook ran Boris Johnson’s successful re-election campaign for Mayor of London in 2012.5 Fullbrook previously worked as Head of Campaigns for the UK Conservative Party, and in 1993 established PLS, a Conservative campaigns and communications consultancy.6
Relationship with the Tobacco Industry
Both the Australian and UK branches of CT Group have reportedly worked for tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco and Philip Morris.78
The CT Group founders have also had previous relationships with tobacco companies.
Crosby, on behalf of the Australian Liberal Party, actively sought out and accepted tobacco industry funding when he was the Party’s Federal Director.9 “These cigarette manufacturers are legal companies which employ thousands of Australians. If they want to make a contribution…they are entitled to do so”, Crosby was quoted.
Textor has listed Philip Morris as a past client of his.10 In 1998, Textor (working for Australasian Research Strategies) prepared an environmental tobacco smoke survey for Philip Morris.1112 He also spoke at a Philip Morris Australia’s 1998 Corporate Affairs Conference, where the risk of the introduction of plain packaging was discussed.1314
Lobbying Against Plain Packaging in UK
In 2013, the UK Government abandoned plans to introduce plain tobacco packaging. Conservative MPs attributed the move to the appointment of Crosby as the Government’s campaign strategist.15
- For more information on how Crosby lobbied the UK Government and Lord Marland over plain packaging, see Lynton Crosby.
Lobbying Against Plain Packaging in Ireland
Leaked correspondence revealed that Sir Robert Atkins, a Conservative Member of European Parliament (MEP) and former MP, was asked by Mark Fullbrook – whose wife occupied the same parliamentary seat as Atkins once had – to provide internal government information about Ireland’s plans to introduce plain packaging.16
On 21 September 2014, Fullbrook emailed Atkins with the subject title “A job I need your urgent help with”, writing:
“Hi Robert,
Lovely to see you and Dulcie wife last night
Can you try urgently to help with finding some info
It is in the public domain that the UK Govt has issued comments on the Irish Govt’s notification process of plain packaging (tobacco) to the EU….Can you help identify which Department issued these comments and what these comments are?
On this one time is critical”
Further leaked correspondence indicated that Atkins sought the help of Philip Bradbourn, another Conservative MEP.17 Atkins writes:
“I bumped into Mark Fullbrook on Friday- husband of my successor as South Ribble MP- and he raised a problem with me…
Is there anything that you can do to elicit the information that he requires from the relevant Commissioner’s office? I gather that it is a bit urgent!”
Above correspondence raises concerns about the extent of tobacco industry influence over the UK Government’s position on plain packaging through CTF partners and its founders.
Relationship with the Alcohol Industry
In 2013, the UK Government also abandoned plans to introduce minimum alcohol pricing. The government came under further fire when it was revealed that Crosby had links with the alcohol industry in addition to the tobacco industry.18
The Daily Mirror newspaper reported in May 2013 that the Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia (DSICA) was listed on CT Group’s client list in the New South Wales (NSW) register of lobbyists. This Australian trade association has lobbied against the introduction of minimum alcohol pricing.19
The NSW Lobby Register further revealed that transnational alcohol company Diageo was a client of CT Group in 2015, 2016, and 2017.20
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