The TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) today announces the appointment of Jonathan Isaby to the role of Political Director. Jonathan has previously worked at the BBC, the Daily Telegraph and most recently was co-editor of ConservativeHome.
One of the objectives of the TPA has always been to represent taxpayers in the corridors of power, so Jonathan will focus on building links with Ministers, MPs and MEPs. His immediate focus will be to communicate the work of the 2020 Tax Commission to policy makers and to develop joint campaigns with other European taxpayers groups in light of the Eurozone crisis.
The TPA has already got a strong track record of influencing policy in Westminster. Many of the Coalition Government's spending cuts were first discussed in the joint IoD/TPA paper 'How to cut spending by £50bn' (September 2009), which was later published as a book by Biteback (March 2010). Eric Pickles has also cracked down on many of the examples of local government waste first identified by the TPA in the seminal 'Council Spending Uncovered' series. Most recently, our 2010 paper on taxpayer funded trade union officials has played in integral role in the debate, which Dominic Raab MP has picked up on in the House of Commons, and Francis Maude MP is looking into at the Cabinet Office.
Jonathan Isaby, new Political Director at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:
"Having watched the TaxPayers' Alliance go from strength to strength in the relatively few years since its founding, I am delighted now to be joining Matthew Elliott and his team. The TPA plays a vital role in reminding those in power of that timeless maxim that there's no such thing as government money, only taxpayers' money. Right now it is more important than ever to ensure that politicians and bureaucrats in Brussels, in Westminster and in town halls up and down the country use that money responsibly and transparently. What's more, they also need to be challenged as to whether hard-pressed taxpayers could be using it more wisely themselves. I'm looking forward to working with the brilliant team at the TPA to ensure that those messages are heard in the corridors of power."
Robert Oxley
As well as welcoming Jonathan to the team, the TaxPayers' Alliance also has a new Campaign Manager, Robert Oxley. Robert previously worked as a researcher in the House of Commons and will now work under the TPA's Campaign Director, Emma Boon, communicating the organisation's research to the media. He will also be responsible for the TPA's social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Matthew Elliott, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:
"We're delighted to welcome both Jonathan and Robert to the TPA. Jonathan will add a wealth of experience to an already strong team. His knowledge, skills and contacts will be a tremendous asset as our campaign moves forward.
"Robert will be a new face to many in the media, and I'm really excited to welcome him aboard. His experience of Parliament and passion for TPA campaigns will stand him in good stead for his new role."
Jonathan Isaby will join the TaxPayers' Alliance from the 15th August 2011. Robert Oxley has joined the team with immediate effect.