Decision

Summary of business appointment applications - Lt Gen Thomas Beckett

Updated 23 October 2018

Lt Gen Thomas Beckett left his post as Defence Senior Adviser Middle East (DSAME) in January 2018.

1. Advisory Board Member, Immerse

Lt Gen Thomas Beckett sought the Committee’s advice about taking up an appointment as an Advisory Board Member at Immerse.

The letter containing the Committee’s consideration and the conditions imposed on the appointment was sent in August 2018 and the appointment commenced the same month.

2. Advisor, Board of Optima Defence and Security Group Ltd

Lt Gen Thomas Beckett sought the Committee’s advice about taking up an appointment as Advisor to the Board of Optima Defence and Security Group Ltd, a company specialising in Explosive Threat Mitigation.

The letter containing the Committee’s consideration and the conditions imposed on the appointment was sent in June 2018 and the appointment was taken up in July 2018.

3. Executive Director – Middle East at the International Institute for Strategic Studies

The Committee was asked to consider an application from Lt Gen Thomas Beckett, who will take up an appointment as Executive Director – Middle East at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) when he leaves Crown service in May 2018. This is a full-time, paid post.

Lt Gen Beckett’s role will be to lead the IISS-Middle East office in Bahrain as the centre of IISS scholarship in the region providing independent, high-quality research and analysis.

When considering this application the Committee took into account the factors set out in the advice letter, including:

• Lt Gen Beckett and the MOD Business Appointments Panel have confirmed that he has not had any contractual dealings with IISS while in office or involvement in any decisions that might affect the business of the organisation.
• Lt Gen Beckett has had official contact with IISS and attended their Manama dialogue event in 2014, 2015, and 2016 in support of the Secretary of State for Defence, Minister Defence Procurement and the Chief of the Defence Staff, as part of his DSAME role.
• Lt Gen Beckett has explained that IISS routinely deals with Governments, including HMG, but it neither lobbies nor is engaged in advocacy.
• Air Chief Marshall Sir Stuart Peach (Chief of the Defence Staff) is supportive of Lt Gen Beckett’s application as his Countersigning Officer. He notes that IISS’ research and analysis benefits the MOD and the UK’s armed forces.
• The Committee also took into account the views of the MOD Business Appointments Panel, who were content with the appointment subject to a 2-year lobbying ban.

The Committee’s recommendation was made on the basis of the description of Lt Gen Beckett’s MOD role as provided in his application and set out in the advice letter; and on the understanding that he will have no involvement in awarding any contracts or grants to IISS for the remainder of his time as DSAME.

The Secretary of State for Defence accepted the Committee’s advice that the appointment be subject to the following conditions:

• that he should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of himself or the organisation to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to him from his time in Crown service; and
• for two years from his last day in Crown service, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK Government on behalf of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, nor should he make use, directly or indirectly, of his Government and/or Crown service contacts to influence policy or secure funding or business on its behalf. This would not prevent him from having routine contact with the MOD and Government on matters that are an integral part of the normal course of business for IISS.

The letter containing the Committee’s advice was sent in July 2017 and the appointment was announced in December 2017.