Key Starmer adviser held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech bosses | Technology policy
Key Starmer adviser held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech bosses | Technology policy
Publish Date: 2026-05-03 09:01:00
Source Domain: www.theguardian.com
An influential government adviser close to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech executives, the Guardian can reveal.
The No 10 business aide Varun Chandra discussed regulatory changes, AI and Donald Trump’s second administration with tech corporations during confidential meetings between October 2024 and October 2025. In one meeting he offered to help a top executive meet the prime minister directly.
Chandra’s dealings with six major technology companies – Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Apple and Meta – took place as the government developed policies to secure investment from Silicon Valley, including multimillion-pound energy subsidies and preferential planning approval for datacentres in what ministers have called AI growth zones.
While largely unknown outside Westminster, Chandra, who ran a corporate intelligence firm founded by former British spies before joining government, is a central figure in Downing Street and is a key champion of the government’s push for economic growth.
Chandra’s role as chief business adviser to the prime minister was expanded this year to include the remit of US trade envoy, in which he offers advice on trade negotiations, including AI investment.
Chandra (left) at a business roundtable in 10 Downing Street in November 2024. Photograph: Frank Augstein/AFP/Getty Images
Unlike senior civil servants and ministers, political advisers do not have to declare their interactions with private firms and lobbyists although meetings are recorded by civil servants. It took 12 months to get confirmation of Chandra’s engagements under freedom of information rules.
The meeting logs obtained by the Guardian are the first glimpse into the working schedule of a powerful political operative who can link business executives to the prime minister and the chancellor. They raise questions about what a democracy campaigner described as “lobbying behind closed doors”.
A Downing Street spokesperson said…
