Varun Chandra

Varun Chandra (born November 1984)[1] is a British political adviser and former business executive. He was appointed as special adviser on business and investment to the prime minister Keir Starmer in July 2024.[2][3][4]

From 2019 to 2024, he was managing partner at Hakluyt & Company[5] and founding chairman of Hakluyt Capital, a venture capital fund.[6]

In December 2025, Chandra was shortlisted to become the UK ambassador to Washington, replacing Peter Mandelson, but was ultimately not selected.[7] He was instead appointed as the UK's special envoy to the United States on trade and investment in addition to his role at Downing Street.[8] Between October 2024 and October 2025, Chandra had private meetings to discuss regulatory changes and artificial intelligence issues with six major US technology companies (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Apple and Meta).[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Varun CHANDRA personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
  2. ↑ Stacey, Kiran (May 8, 2025). "Varun Chandra: Starmer adviser proving 'vital link' for Labour in US trade talks" – via The Guardian.
  3. ↑ Gimson, Andrew (July 30, 2025). "Varun Chandra: the most important adviser you've never heard of" – via The Spectator.
  4. ↑ Sheppard, David; Parker, George (November 23, 2025). "Starmer's top business adviser emerges as frontrunner to replace Mandelson as envoy to US" – via The Financial Times.
  5. ↑ "Hakluyt". Retrieved April 17, 2026.
  6. ↑ Nair, Dinesh (2024-06-04). "UK Firm Known for Discreet Advice Makes Move Into Silicon Valley". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  7. ↑ "Varun Chandra out of the running to be next UK envoy to the US". POLITICO. 2025-12-17. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
  8. ↑ "Varun Chandra appointed as PM's Special Envoy to the United States on Trade and Investment". Government of the United Kingdom. 2026-01-23. Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  9. ↑ Wall, Tom (3 May 2026). "Starmer adviser held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech bosses". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
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