Burnham’s AI head secretly briefed tech giants at No 10 adviser’s investment firm

A newly released investigation reveals that Oliver Ilott, now the most senior official in Andy Burnham’s government shaping AI policy, secretly briefed some of the world’s largest technology companies while he was still a top UK civil servant. The closed-door session was hosted by Hakluyt & Company, a corporate intelligence firm based in London’s Mayfair that maintains close ties to senior officials and operates outside standard lobbying transparency rules.

Ilott, who at the time led the UK’s AI Security Institute, spoke at a private breakfast roundtable in April 2024 hosted by Hakluyt. The event was not declared by the government, which later told openDemocracy it holds no records of the discussion. Attendees included representatives from Microsoft, the Ellison Institute of Technology, BT, the UAE’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, and several Silicon Valley investment firms. Hakluyt also invited Calypso AI, a company it had invested in the previous year. The firm followed up with Ilott after the meeting, thanking him for his contributions and offering to send a gift, which he declined.

Hakluyt & Company was founded in 1995 by former MI6 operatives and has long operated from a discreet Mayfair townhouse, providing high-level strategic intelligence to multinational corporations on politically sensitive matters such as mergers, regulation, and market expansion. Unlike registered lobbyists, Hakluyt is not required to disclose its clients, arguing it does not engage in political lobbying. However, its staff regularly meet with senior civil servants and former officials, raising questions about access and influence.

Olly Robbins, a former senior civil servant who had joined Hakluyt as a partner, initially invited Ilott to meet with senior clients in October 2024. Robbins, who previously served as the UK’s deputy national security adviser and chief Brexit negotiator, left Hakluyt in January 2025 to become head of the Foreign Office, though he was dismissed earlier this year amid controversy. A Hakluyt executive later finalized the invitation for the April breakfast event.

Following the roundtable, Ilott’s profile rose within the UK government. He was promoted in early 2025 to become interim director general of AI at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), a role later made permanent. In September 2024, he met again with Hakluyt at its investment arm, Hakluyt Capital, in what the government classified as an “informal meeting” with no agenda or minutes recorded.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has stated it does not hold speaking notes, minutes, or presentation materials from either interaction. Hakluyt declined to comment on the purpose of the gift offered to Ilott but stated that meetings between officials and businesses to discuss relevant issues are common.

The revelations highlight concerns about transparency and the so-called “revolving door” between government and private advisory firms, particularly in high-stakes fields such as artificial intelligence policy.

#AI policy #UK government #Andy Burnham #Hakluyt & Company #Oliver Ilott #DSIT #MI6 #Corporate intelligence