Anacta Strategies: Influencing Starmer’s Labour Government

Anacta Strategies, a lobbying firm specializing in the UK Labour Party, has faced scrutiny over its close ties to 10 Downing Street and its role in providing corporate clients with access to political intelligence.

The firm, which describes itself as the leading Labour-specialist advisory firm, has positioned itself as a bridge for organizations seeking to understand and influence the government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Corporate Access and Conference Sponsorship

During the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Anacta Strategies operated a prominent two-storey temporary glass and steel hub. The firm had paid to sponsor the event, a move that critics suggest undermines pledges to clean up political influence.

Reports from The i Paper indicate that the firm provided a briefing for MPs and peers regarding the Prime Minister’s keynote speech. This event, hosted in the Anacta-sponsored hub, was described in leaked invitations as an opportunity to be briefed on what we can expect to hear from the Prime Minister in his keynote speech to conference.

The i Paper further reported that clients such as Sky and the gambling trade body Bacta were offered an exclusive preview of the keynote address the day before it was delivered. While neither the Labour Party nor Anacta ruled out the presence of company staff and clients at the briefing, it was understood that no Anacta staff would speak at the event.

Leadership and Political Ties

Anacta Strategies is led by managing director Teddy Ryan. Ryan is a veteran of the Labour Party, having worked in senior roles within the party for 14 years.

Ryan’s ties to the party leadership are further strengthened by his marriage to Hollie Ridley, who serves as the Labour Party’s general secretary and is an ally of Keir Starmer.

The firm’s entry into the UK market was relatively recent, opening in 2023 after being originally founded in Australia. According to reporting by Peter Geoghegan for Prospect, the firm had not registered any clients with the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists, the official UK regulator, until 2024.

Client Portfolio

Anacta provides political intelligence and lobbying services to a diverse range of corporate and industry clients. These include:

• Pearson Engineering, an Israeli-owned arms firm
• Sky
• Bacta, a trade body for the gambling industry
• Trade associations representing the amusements and airline sectors
• Various organizations within the technology, transport, and green industries

The firm’s business model involves both lobbying the government to influence policy decisions and gathering intelligence on policy directions to inform the business strategies of its clients.

Broader Lobbying Context

Anacta is not the only firm with deep Labour ties operating within these circles. At the same conference, another large hub was sponsored by Arden Strategies, an advisory firm established by Jim Murphy, a former New Labour secretary of state.

The presence of these firms has drawn criticism, particularly as the Labour Party has frequently criticized the previous Conservative government for issues related to political access and cronyism. Critics argue that the sale of political access via sponsored hubs and exclusive briefings contradicts the party’s stated goal of reforming political conduct.

A spokesperson for Anacta responded to the scrutiny by stating the firm was proud to be hosting a range of interesting events, with a broad and varied range of partners.