The news that Westminster lunch ‘institution’ Shepherd’s is to reopen its doors after closing them eighteen months ago has been greeted with enthusiasm, not least by the cheese soufflé devotees of SW1. But should it actually stick in the throat?
According to Public Affairs News the Tory lobbyist Lionel Zetter is the man behind the resurrection, and he has bought both the brand and the lease of the Marsham Street joint. Who is this mysterious restaurateur? Well, he’s Director of the European Azerbaijan Society, and that makes him a frontman for the Azeri regime, according to Foreign Policy magazine:
‘A 2010 U.S. State Department cable published by WikiLeaks described the group as follows: “The ‘society’ purports to be an independent advocacy group, but its talking points very much reflect the goals and objectives of the [government of Azerbaijan]. TEAS’s current director is Lionel Zetter, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and of the Royal Society of Arts, as well the author of Lobbying: The Art of Political Persuasion.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate, free for a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.
UNLOCK ACCESS Try a month freeAlready a subscriber? Log in