A close adviser to UK Labour figures Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, Varun Chandra, is reported to have held multiple undisclosed meetings with senior US technology executives. According to The Guardian, Chandra met with companies including Google, Meta and Apple, along with other top tech firms, between October 2024 and October 2025. The reported topics include potential regulatory changes, discussions about artificial intelligence, and considerations related to Donald Trump’s expected second term. The Guardian also reports that in at least one meeting Chandra offered to help a top executive meet the prime minister directly.
A second report, from The Canary (described as drawing on Skwawkbox), also says Chandra held sixteen undeclared meetings with US Big Tech figures and discusses similar subject matter, including regulation and related corporate priorities. That report adds that Chandra has previously run a firm described as a “corporate intelligence” business founded by former UK spies, and it cites calls from political figures for an investigation into Labour’s ties with business and the transparency of the meetings.
Both accounts center on the undisclosed nature of the meetings and the policy topics discussed.
