Anthony Browne (politician)

Browne began his career as a journalist. He was business reporter and economics correspondent for the BBC (1993–1998); economics correspondent, health editor and environment correspondent for the Observer newspaper (1998–2002); and environment editor, Europe correspondent, and chief political correspondent for The Times (2002–2007). When Europe correspondent for The Times, he covered the enlargement of the EU to Eastern Europe, and the appointment of Peter Mandelson as European Commissioner. He also reported for The Times from Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Browne was a columnist for City AM[8] and one of the founding columnists of the website ConservativeHome.[9]

As Environment Editor of the Observer, Browne broke the exclusive that 1999 was the hottest year of the second millennium.[10]

In 2000 Browne reported for the Observer from the North Coast of Alaska on the attempts by oil companies to develop the National Arctic Wildlife Refuge, and the impact that had on the Gwich'in Tribe.[11]

Browne was in New York on 11 September 2001, and covered the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers for the Guardian and the Observer.[12][13] A podcast he did for the Guardian was used by the director Oliver Stone in his 2006 film World Trade Center, starring Nicolas Cage, in which Browne gets a final credit.

In 2002, when Health Editor of the Observer, Browne co-authored a report titled NHS Reform: towards consensus? for the Adam Smith Institute,[14] which was serialised in the Guardian newspaper.[15] It urged greater funding for the NHS and to retain the principle that it should be free for users, but that the NHS should adopt the practices common in the German, French and Belgian health services.

Browne revealed in 2003 that immigration from Africa had become the main cause of new HIV infections in the UK.[16] The Public Health Laboratory Service said "this is a crisis that needs to be tackled."[17] Lord Turnburg, the former Chairman of the Public Health Laboratory Service, and Lord Walton, former president of the BMA and General Medical Council, called for the UK to follow the US, Canada and Australia by introducing HIV and TB tests for immigrants.[18] The UK Government set up an Imported Infection and Immigration Working Group, which introduced stricter immigration controls to combat imported infections, but did not recommend mandatory Canadian-style tests.

In 2004, Browne broke the story in the Times of the government welcoming to the UK Yusuf al Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, who had called for the execution of all Jews and homosexuals.[19] The government subsequently banned al Qaradawi from visiting the UK.

In 2011 Browne wrote a blog on the ConservativeHome website titled "Why we shouldn't leave the EU".[20] Browne argued against a referendum on British membership of the EU, and said that "disentangling from the EU would be a hideous set of complex negotiations across pretty much the entire range of government functions."

Browne was Director of Policy Exchange, the largest centre-right think tank in the UK, where he succeeded the founding director Nick Boles. He ran Policy Exchange for eighteen months, during which time it doubled in size, but attracted criticism that it came too close to Conservative leader David Cameron.[21]

Browne has written and contributed to various publications, including a book on whether Britain should join the European single currency, which entered the Sunday Times best-seller list; a pamphlet published by Civitas: The Institute for the Study of Civil Society discussing mass immigration which won Prospect magazine's think tank publication of the year award in 2003; and a Joseph Rowntree Foundation book on social evils; and a report for the think tank Open Europe supporting subsidiarity in the EU.

Browne was Policy Director for Economic Development for Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London,[22] in charge of economic and business policy for London, sitting on the board of the London Development Agency,[23] and as an observer on the boards of the London Skills and Employment Board, and TheCityUK, which represents UK financial services. He was also chairman of the Mayor's Digital Advisory Board.

On Saturday 20 July 2019, Browne was announced as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for South Cambridgeshire.[1] In an interview with the Cambridge Independent on 24 July 2019 to discuss his selection, Browne sought to distance himself from the views he had expressed as a journalist, when he claimed in the Spectator that third world immigrants bring germs into the country.[24] When asked about the statements, he said "I went through a phase as a young journalist trying to get attention and it is not language I would use now. I regret saying it."

Browne was elected as member for South Cambridgeshire in December 2019 with a majority of 2,904.[25] He was later elected as a member of the Treasury Select Committee and Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group of the Environment in 2020.[26]

After working for Boris Johnson, Browne became Morgan Stanley's head of government relations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.[27]

On 1 September 2012, he left Morgan Stanley to become head of the British Bankers' Association.

Browne was appointed to the BBA in June 2012, two weeks before the LIBOR scandal broke. Marcus Agius, the chairman of the BBA who appointed Browne, promptly resigned.[28]

Browne was responsible for implementing reforms of LIBOR proposed by a review lead by Martin Wheatley, the then head of the Financial Conduct Authority.[29][30] Browne then worked with a government-appointed tendering committee chaired by Baroness Hogg to transfer operation of LIBOR from the BBA.[31] Responsibility for the operation of LIBOR was transferred from the BBA to NYSE Euronext in January 2014.[32] As part of the ensuing Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, chaired by Andrew Tyrie, Browne co-ordinated the industry to establish the Banking Standards Board.

Browne also set up the BBA's first Consumer Panel.[33] In the wake of the 2016 referendum on Brexit, Browne famously warned, in a controversial piece in The Observer newspaper, that British-based banks were about to relocate operations to the EU, with their hands "quivering over the relocate button".[34]

In April 2017, he announced he was stepping down after five years as CEO, when the BBA merged with five other trade associations to form UK Finance.[35][36]