Thomas Borwick

Last updated

The Hon. Thomas James Robert Borwick (born 1987), is a British SEO strategist, CEO and digital influencer. [1] A member of the Conservative Party, [2] Borwick provided tech support for the successful Vote Leave campaign. [3]

Contents

Life

The second son of Lord and Lady Borwick, [4] his father (Jamie) sits in the House of Lords [5] and his mother (Victoria), was an MP (2015–17). [6]

Borwick read economics and finance at the University of Richmond, Virginia, graduating BA, BS, [7] before pursuing further studies at London Business School (MBA).

He first joined Killik & Co, before founding his own company, Kanto Systems, in 2012. [8] Borwick worked for Cambridge Analytica and AggregateIQ, and was Chief Technology Officer for Vote Leave before creating the campaigning group 3rd Party Ltd for influencing the outcome of the 2019 United Kingdom general election. [6] Borwick ran targeted Facebook advertisements calling for the electorate to vote Green, possibly to divide the anti-Conservative vote. However, given that these ads were run both in swing (Plymouth) and non-swing constituencies (Oxford), the campaign may also have been intended for harvesting data on Green Party supporters. [9]

Borwick has also operated numerous other tech companies, including Disruptive Communications Ltd, which he started in partnership with Douglas Carswell, former UKIP MP; [1] and Voter Consultancy Ltd, whose micro-targeting of Facebook Ads allegedly precipitated unforeseen death threats against Remainer MPs [10] and led to a subsequent investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office. [11]

Assaulted by three women at a London KFC outlet in 2015, [12] Borwick was critical of KFC's door security, who could assist only by escorting him and his girlfriend from the premises. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esher and Walton (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards

Esher and Walton is a constituency in Surrey represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Since 2010, it has been represented by Dominic Raab of the Conservative Party, who served as deputy prime minister before resigning in April 2023 due to bullying allegations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Carswell</span> British politician

John Douglas Wilson Carswell is a British former politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2017, co-founded Vote Leave and currently serves as president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Borwick, 5th Baron Borwick</span>

Geoffrey Robert James Borwick, 5th Baron Borwick, is a British businessman, hereditary peer and member of the House of Lords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum</span> A plebescite

On 23 June 2016, a referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country should remain a member of, or leave, the European Union (EU). It was organised and facilitated through the European Union Referendum Act 2015 and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The referendum resulted in 51.9% of the votes cast being in favour of leaving the EU. Although the referendum was legally non-binding, the government of the time promised to implement the result.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Borwick</span> British politician

Victoria Lorne Peta Borwick, formally styled by marriage The Lady Borwick, is a British politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Caulfield</span> British Conservative politician

Maria Colette Caulfield is a British politician and nurse serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women's Health Strategy and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women since October 2022. She served as Minister of State for Health from July to September 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Lewes since 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Green (politician)</span> British Conservative politician

Christopher Patrick James Green is a British Conservative Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolton West since 2015. He was elected again in 2017 and 2019, increasing his majority and vote share at both general elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 United Kingdom general election</span> Election to the 58th United Kingdom House of Commons

The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 12 December 2019, to elect members of the House of Commons. The eighteenth and final general election to be held during the reign of Elizabeth II, who later died in 2022, it resulted in the incumbent Conservative Party receiving a landslide victory and majority of 80 seats. The Conservatives made a net gain of 48 seats and won 43.6% of the popular vote, which was the highest percentage for any party since the 1979 United Kingdom general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vote Leave</span> Organization that campaigned for UK withdrawal from the EU

Vote Leave was a campaigning organisation that supported a "Leave" vote in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum. On 13 April 2016 it was designated by the Electoral Commission as the official campaign in favour of leaving the European Union in the Referendum.

More United is a cross-party political movement in the United Kingdom. It describes itself as a "tech-driven political startup" that supports candidates regardless of party affiliation. The movement advocates public service investment, democratic reform, a green economy, tolerant society, and co-operation with the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Parkinson, Baron Parkinson of Whitley Bay</span> British Conservative politician and life peer

Stephen Parkinson, Baron Parkinson of Whitley Bay is a British Conservative member of the House of Lords who serves as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Arts and Heritage since October 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Richmond Park by-election</span> UK parliamentary by-election

On 1 December 2016, a by-election was held in the UK parliamentary constituency of Richmond Park. It was triggered by the resignation of the Conservative Member of Parliament Zac Goldsmith on 25 October 2016 over the Government's proposal for a third runway at the nearby Heathrow Airport. It was won by Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats, after a campaign focused on opposition to Brexit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Olney</span> British politician (born 1977)

Sarah Jane Olney is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond Park in Greater London since 2019, previously holding the seat from 2016 to 2017. Olney has served as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Treasury since July 2022 and for Business and Industrial Strategy since January 2020.

A by-election for the House of Commons constituency of Sleaford and North Hykeham in Lincolnshire, England, was held on 8 December 2016. It was triggered by the resignation of the Conservative member of parliament (MP) Stephen Phillips, who left Parliament on 4 November 2016 due to policy differences with the Conservative government led by the prime minister, Theresa May, over Brexit – the British withdrawal from the European Union (EU). The Conservatives nominated Caroline Johnson, a paediatrician, to replace Phillips; she won the by-election with more than 50 per cent of the vote, a sizable majority. The Conservatives' vote share fell slightly compared to the result at the previous general election in 2015.

Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum is a debated subject and remains unproven, though multiple sources argue evidence exists demonstrating that the Russian government attempted to influence British public opinion in favour of leaving the European Union. Investigations into this subject have been undertaken by the UK Electoral Commission, the UK Parliament's Culture Select Committee and Intelligence and Security Committee, and the United States Senate. "The Russia Report" published by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament in July 2020 did not specifically address the Brexit campaign, but it concluded that Russian interference in UK politics is commonplace. It also found substantial evidence that there had been interference in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.

AggregateIQ (AIQ) previously known as SCL Canada is a Canadian political consultancy and technology company, based in Victoria, British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Vote</span> UK campaign group that called for a further public vote on Brexit

People's Vote was a United Kingdom campaign group that unsuccessfully campaigned for a second referendum following the UK's Brexit vote to leave the European Union (EU) in 2016. The group was launched in April 2018 at which four Members of Parliament spoke, along with the actor Patrick Stewart and other public figures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proposed referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement</span> Proposed referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement

A referendum on the Brexit withdrawal agreement, also referred to as a "second referendum", a "rerun", a "people's vote", or a "confirmatory public vote", was proposed by a number of politicians and pressure groups as a way to break the deadlock during the 2017–19 Parliament surrounding the meaningful vote on the Brexit deal.

Several allegations of unlawful campaigning in the 2016 EU referendum have been made. Some allegations were dismissed by the investigating bodies, but in other cases wrongdoing was established, leading to the imposition of penalties. Sanctions have included the levying of the maximum fine possible on Facebook for breaches of data privacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Grimes</span> British political commentator and activist

Darren Grimes is a British right-wing political commentator and activist. A Liberal Democrat activist before dropping out of university, he then worked for a number of Brexit campaigns. He set up the website Reasoned in May 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 O'Toole, Fintan. "Abortion fake-news firestorm heading our way". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  2. www.twocitiesconservatives.org.uk
  3. www.voteleavetakecontrol.org
  4. www.burkespeerage.com
  5. www.parliament.uk
  6. 1 2 Geoghegan, Peter. "Revealed: Former Vote Leave data chief accused of pro-Tory 'disinformation'". Open Democracy. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  7. www.alumni.richmond.edu
  8. "Analysing Borwick". The Steeple Times. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  9. Evelyn, Rupert (27 November 2019). "Former Chief Technology Officer for Leave campaign found to be placing Facebook ads pretending to be from Green Party". ITV News.
  10. Murphy, Joe. "Cambridge Analytic bragged: We have vast data for Brexit vote". The Evening Standard. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  11. Rogan, Aaron; Coyne, Ellen. "Agency hired by abortion group grilled over Brexit". The Times. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  12. "British MP's son beaten unconscious by girl gang". Deccan Chronicle. 12 July 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  13. Twomey, John (11 July 2015). "MP's son criticises bouncers after being beaten up by girl thugs as he waited to buy KFC". The Daily Express. Retrieved 3 December 2019.