Cape Plc

EDM number 449 in 1998-99, proposed by Ken Livingstone on 18/03/1999.

That this House condemns the activities of Cape plc, a UK-based multinational company which engaged lobbyists, GJW Government Relations Ltd and Media Strategy Ltd, to derail claims brought against Cape plc in England on behalf of hundreds of fatally and seriously injured South African asbestos miners; notes that the lobbyists' written media political and communication audit reports for Cape plc in January 1999 recommended action on behalf of Cape plc, to launch a campaign targeted at the ambulance chasing activities of Leigh Day, the claimants' lawyers, and to encourage the Daily Mail to embarrass the Lord Chancellor by making him have to 'choose between black workers and multinationals (such that) the detail of the claims are likely to be of secondary interest'; and further notes that to achieve these objectives the lobbyists communicated with a variety of senior government sources including the Lord Chancellor's advisers, Gary Hart and Victor Benjamin, advisers to the Minister of State, officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Department of Trade and Industry, HM Treasury and Lord Falconer of the Cabinet Office on the grounds that he has 'a very close relationship with both the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor.

This motion has been signed by a total of 20 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.