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Revealed: No 10 adviser involved in AI policy has financial interests in AI

Varun Chandra left an MI6-linked consultancy to join Starmer’s government, but he still has a stake in its AI-backing investment fund

By Ethan Shone
Revealed: No 10 adviser involved in AI policy has financial interests in AI
Varun Chandra is Keir Starmer's business and investment adviser. |
The Hollywood Reporter / Contributor / Getty Images
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One of Keir Starmer’s senior aides held top-level meetings on AI policy, despite personally holding a stake in a $50m investment fund that has backed several AI firms, openDemocracy can reveal.

Varun Chandra was appointed as No 10’s business and investment adviser in July, leaving behind his previous role as chairman of Hakluyt & Company, a strategic advisory firm.

But openDemocracy has learned that Chandra still has a stake in Hakluyt’s AI-backing investment fund, according to Companies House documents. The firms backed by the fund include one with a multi-million pound NHS contract.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0