When British journalists were writing about the treatment of migrant workers building World Cup stadiums, they might have expected to receive a phone call from a Qatari based in Doha, pushing back on their accusations. Instead, newspapers found themselves being contacted by Britons such as George Pascoe‑Watson, a former political editor of the Sun, challenging the premise of their story and offering a more pro-Qatari viewpoint.
Pascoe-Watson is a senior partner at Portland, a high-end London-based public relations and lobbying company founded by Tim Allan, a former adviser to Tony Blair. It is one of many British‑based firms who benefited from spinning on behalf of the Qatari government before the World Cup, pushing the Gulf nation’s case in the media, and arguing against negative coverage.
