Tony Blair and Nick Clegg Held Private Tech Dinner with Government Minister
Tony Blair and Nick Clegg organized a private dinner earlier this year where a small group of technology executives met with a senior minister, according to official documents.
The former prime minister, a strong advocate for the tech industry, hosted the event at a high-end London hotel in his role as head of the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), a political advisory group.
Blair and Clegg, who at the time was a top executive at Meta, invited leaders from six tech firms to dine with Poppy Gustafsson, then the government’s investment minister tasked with encouraging businesses to invest in the UK.
Blair has long promoted the potential of technology to improve struggling public services and has built ties with industry leaders. His institute has published numerous policy papers arguing that artificial intelligence should be central to government strategy.
However, critics have raised concerns about Blair’s influence, particularly given his connections to Keir Starmer’s administration, without sufficient public oversight. Questions have also been raised about TBI’s financial reliance on donations from Silicon Valley billionaire Larry Ellison, a known associate of Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Ellison, who briefly held the title of the world’s richest person this year, has contributed or pledged over $300 million to TBI.
Records obtained by CuriosityNews under freedom of information laws show that the 12 attendees discussed the government’s shifting policies on artificial intelligence during what was labeled a “salon dinner.”
Held in late January at the luxury Corinthia hotel, the gathering included Lonne Jaffe, managing director of Insight Partners, a US investment firm that funds tech companies.
Other attendees were Alex Kendall, CEO of autonomous vehicle startup Wayve; Nigel Toon, head of chipmaker Graphcore; and Marc Warner, chief executive of Faculty AI, which co-authored a report with TBI last year on AI’s role in public services.
A spokesperson for Clegg, who co-hosted the dinner while serving as Meta’s president for global affairs, said: “During his time at Meta, Nick Clegg met regularly with government officials and industry leaders. That was part of his role overseeing policy and global affairs.”
A TBI representative stated: “This was a discussion between tech leaders and a minister on various issues. No company paid to participate.”
Representatives from the firms present confirmed they had not donated to TBI or hired its services.
The event highlights how TBI promotes Blair’s technology-focused agenda. The institute has expanded significantly and now operates in 45 countries with over 900 staff.
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