Sir Martin Sorrell: I’d be reluctant to work on Nigel Farage campaign

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/oct/15/sir-martin-sorrell-nigel-farage-ukip-ad-campaign

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Sir Martin Sorrell, the UK’s most powerful advertising executive, has said that he would be reluctant to work on Ukip leader Nigel Farage’s election campaign due to the party’s stance on immigration.

Sorrell, chief executive of London-based WPP, the world’s largest marketing and advertising services company, said that as a second-generation immigrant it was a “sensitive point”.

WPP owns creative ad agencies networks including Grey (with clients including News UK, Vodafone and HSBC), Ogilvy & Mather (American Express, SC Johnson), Y&R (Virgin Atlantic, Land Rover) and JWT (Lego, Rolex).

“If [Farage] approached me, as a second generation immigrant I would be a little bit uncomfortable,” he said, speaking at an event held by the National Advertising Benevolent Society on Tuesday evening. “The question on my mind is what in Nigel’s mind is a good immigrant. Am I a good immigrant or a bad immigrant [being] second generation?”

Sorrell’s father’s parents were from Ukraine and his mother’s parents came from Poland and Romania, with the first arriving in England around the turn of last century.

“If the [immigration] points system [favoured by Farage] had operated on my grandparents then they wouldn’t be here,” he said. “[It’s a] sensitive point. If the question is asking me personally do I feel comfortable about Nigel’s stand on immigration, no.”

However, Sorrell added that he would not be opposed to any of his advertising agencies taking on Ukip or any other political party’s account for next year’s general election, or WPP employees getting involved in campaigning on a personal basis.

He said that WPP agencies are working for incumbent Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, who is campaigning for a second term in office, and with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, and one agency is involved in work on the UK general election, although he did not elaborate.

“It is a decision for them to make. Those decisions are not made by me in London or New York but people who run the agencies,” Sorrell said.

“Many of our agencies as a point of policy won’t do political campaigns. If you choose to do a political campaign you do it personally in your own time. So if Nigel [Farage] spoke to one of our people ... and they said yes ... then that is their personal decision.”

Sorrell said that if Farage is to be included in the TV leaders’ debates – as proposed in a plan jointly submitted by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky News – then the Green party should also be represented.

“I’m sympathetic to if not equal time [then] giving minority parties time to express their views,” he said. “Ukip have one seat, the Greens have one seat. There you go. If they have any arguments worth hearing we should hear them. It is the future of the country for another five years so I think it is worth debating.

“With the Scottish referendum I had severe misgivings about the potential result of Scottish independence but at least it was democracy at work and 84% of the population voting.”

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