Left Out 2024 – 31 x 5 x 26cm, acrylic paint, wire, paper, staples
Luke Akehurst was Director of pro-Israel group We Believe in Israel, Akehurst has spoken positively of Zionism, describing it in 2023 as “a beautiful ideology of anti-racism”. Akehurst became Secretary of Labour First, which represents moderates and “the old Labour Right”. Under his leadership, the organisation has been committed to “Clause One socialism” of prioritising getting Labour candidates elected to parliament above policy, as well as advocating for a party “safe from the organised hard left” There are another 31 Labour candidates, all with backgrounds in the fossil fuel industries, big tech, firms used for Cameron and Thatchers’s PR Advisors, the South African apartheid regime, and pro Israel groups, their role is to squeeze out local candidates with lived experience in their communities, they are listed as having ‘corporate expertise’. Here are some of their names. Gareth Barret – works for a giant PR relations company in the US that works for Shell, Exxon Mobil, and Chevron. They are the main firm for the lobbying communications firm for the oil industry. Julie Mint – Was a PR consultant for Bell Pottinger, founded by Sir Tim Bell, Thatcher’s favourite PR advisor, who stirred up racial tensions in South Africa. Jade Botterill – Director of a lobbying firm Portland, whose client include Southern Water who were fined £90 million for sewage dumping, she also worked for Yorkshire water, another big polluter. Polly Fillington – works for lobbying firm Hannover who lobby for Amazon, Uber, Meta, and the London stock exchange. Luke Akehurst – Former Director of We Believe In Israel, he selected himself for the safe Labour seat of North Durham. Chris Ward – former Director for Hanbury Strategy, a lobbying firm set up by advisors to David Cameron. Clients included Amazon, Deliveroo, gambling company Flutter, finance firms UBS and Blackstone, and UK oil company Rockhopper who sued the Italian Govt for £210 million in compensation in 2022 for the introduction of a ban on off-shore drilling Corporate lobbying of politicians always entails them wanting something back for their money, usually massive deregulatory privileges.