Gina Miller
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Gina Nadira Miller (' Singh; born 19 April 1965) is a Guyanese-
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
business owner and activist who initiated the 2016 ''
R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union ''R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union'' is a United Kingdom constitutional law case decided by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom Supreme Court on 24 January 2017, which ruled that the Government ...
'' court case against the
British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
over its authority to implement
Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
without approval from
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. In September 2019 she successfully challenged the government's prorogation of Parliament, formally supported in the legal case by the former prime minister Sir John Major and the shadow attorney general,
Shami Chakrabarti Sharmishta "Shami" Chakrabarti, Baroness Chakrabarti, (born 16 June 1969) is a British politician, barrister, and human rights activist. A member of the Labour Party, she served as the director of Liberty, a major advocacy group which promotes ...
. She founded the True and Fair Campaign in 2012, calling for an end to financial misconduct in the investment and pension industries.


Biography

Miller was born Gina Nadira Singh in
British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...
to Savitri and Doodnauth Singh, who later became
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
of Guyana. She is of
Indo-Guyanese Indo-Guyanese or Indian-Guyanese, are people of Indian origin who are Guyanese nationals tracing their ancestry to India and the wider subcontinent. They are the descendants of indentured servants and settlers who migrated from India beginnin ...
descent. She grew up in the newly independent
Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
, and was sent to England by her parents at the age of 10 to be educated at an independent
boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
, Moira House in
Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
. When she was 14, Guyana introduced strict currency controls that prevented their parents from continuing to send funds for Gina and her brother, so she took a summer job as a chambermaid in an Eastbourne hotel. She studied law at the
Polytechnic of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...
(now University of East London) but left without completing her finals because her parents wanted her in Guyana. She has written that she was brutally attacked while at law school, that some of her attackers were fellow students, and that the attack caused her to give up her degree course. She stated “Well, I was attacked because I was not behaving like I was supposed to be behaving.... I was being too western." The attackers were Asian, and they had mistaken her for being Indian. She gained a degree in marketing, and an MSc in
human resource management Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
at the
University of East London , mottoeng = Knowledge and the fulfilment of vows , established = 1898 – West Ham Technical Institute1952 – West Ham College of Technology1970 – North East London Polytechnic1989 – Polytechnic of East London ...
. In 2017, she received an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of East London, 30 years from when she had attended as a student. She owned a property photographic laboratory in 1987, before becoming a marketing and event manager at BMW Fleet Division in 1990. She started a specialist financial services marketing agency in 1992, and launched the Senate investment conference programme in 1996. She became a marketing consultant in 2006. In February 2009, Miller co-founded the investment firm SCM Private (now SCM Direct) with her husband Alan Miller. She has been a leading campaigner against hidden charges in pensions and investment and what she has described as "flagrant mis-selling within the
asset management Asset management is a systematic approach to the governance and realization of value from the things that a group or entity is responsible for, over their whole life cycles. It may apply both to tangible assets (physical objects such as buildings ...
market". She set up Miller Philanthropy (rebranded to the True and Fair Foundation) in 2009 (which closed in 2019), and established MoneyShe.com in 2014, as a female-focused investment brand. She has married three times, and has three children. In October 2017, Miller was named by
Powerlist The ''Powerlist'' is a list of the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom. The list is updated annually and has been published in book format by Powerful Media since 2007. The ''Powerlist'' is ...
as the "UK's most influential black person" which recognises those of African and African Caribbean heritage. Those nominated were chosen by an independent panel with members including former High Court judge Dame
Linda Dobbs Dame Linda Penelope Dobbs, DBE (born 3 January 1951), is a retired High Court judge in England and Wales, who served from 2004 to 2013. Dobbs was the first non-white person to be appointed to the senior judiciary of England and Wales. Biogr ...
and former ''Apprentice'' winner Tim Campbell. They rated nominees on their "ability to change lives and alter events". She was also named number 26 on the list of most influential British Asians by GG2 Power List.


True and Fair Foundation

Miller set up the True and Fair Foundation in 2009, with the stated aim of increasing philanthropy and common good in an era of growing inequality, social fragmentation and small state funding. It aimed to encourage those who have been successful to give back to the communities that afforded them their success, lessening the burden of giving for donors and philanthropists who wish to give smarter and in an efficient and transparent manner but may be time poor. The Foundation was a
registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...
under English law and was removed from the register in July 2019. :The True and Fair Foundation closed in 2019 with trustees saying the charity had stopped operating in the Autumn of 2018. It had come under regulatory scrutiny in its latter years. The True and Fair Foundation was issued with formal regulatory advice in 2016 and in March 2019 the Charity Commission said it was "not clear" if the charity had complied.


True and Fair Campaign

In January 2012, Miller set up the True and Fair Campaign, with the stated aim to "limit the possibility of future mis-selling or financial scandals through greater transparency." This initiative attracted the animosity of part of the city, earning her the nickname of "black widow spider". She reported being called "a disgrace
hose A hose is a flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called ''pipes'' (the word ''pipe'' usually refers to a rigid tube, whereas a hose is usually a flexible one), or more generally '' ...
lobbying efforts would bring down the entire City". On 27 September 2021, she launched a political party, the True and Fair Party. In a statement she said her new party, "champions greater transparency, accountability, competency than existing political parties provide".


Brexit legal challenge

In June 2016, subsequent to the
United Kingdom European Union membership referendum The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...
, Miller privately engaged the
City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
law firm
Mishcon de Reya Mishcon de Reya LLP is a British law firm with offices in London and Singapore. Founded in 1937, it employs more than 1200 people with over 600 lawyers. It is regarded as forming part of the " Silver Circle" of leading UK law firms. In March 2 ...
to challenge the authority of the British Government to invoke
Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union Withdrawal from the European Union is the legal and political process whereby an EU member state ceases to be a member of the Union. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union ( TEU) states that "Any Member State may decide to withdraw from t ...
using
prerogative powers The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign and which have become widely vested in the ...
, arguing that only Parliament can take away rights that Parliament has granted. On 3 November 2016, the
High Court of Justice The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...
ruled that Parliament had to legislate before the Government could invoke Article 50. Miller said outside the High Court: "The judgement, I hope – when it's read by the Government and they contemplate the full judgement – that they will make the wise decision of not appealing but pressing forward and having a proper debate in our sovereign Parliament, our
mother of parliaments "The mother of parliaments" is a phrase coined by the British politician and reformer John Bright in a speech at Birmingham on 18 January 1865. It was a reference to England. His actual words were: "England is the mother of parliaments". This ...
that we are so admired for all over the world".


Motivations

Miller stated in various interviews that she was only pressing on with the legal action as a matter of democracy and parliamentary supremacy. Others have suggested that she simply wanted to prevent
Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or ...
via whatever means available.


Outcome

The Government's appeal to the Supreme Court was heard in December 2016. When closing the hearing, the Court President said that the appeal raised important constitutional issues, and the Justices would take time to give full consideration to the many arguments presented to them, orally and in writing, and they would do their best to resolve the case as quickly as possible. When the Supreme Court delivered judgement in January 2017, it upheld the High Court ruling by a majority of 8–3. After the government's appeal was dismissed, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU formally introduced in Parliament, on 26 January 2017, a bill that, on 16 March, was enacted without amendment as the
European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017 The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017 (c. 9) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to empower the Prime Minister to give to the Council of the European Union the formal notice – required by Article 50 of the ...
. On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union following a vote by MPs in favour of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, 358 to 234 - a majority of 124; the bill also banned an extension of the transition period, beyond its expiry at the end of 2020.


Abuse and threats

The legal challenge met with a "torrent" of abuse from supporters of Brexit, including racial abuse and death threats. In the two days following the judges' decision, more than 79,000 tweets mentioned her account, of which about 13 per cent were hostile. Many referred to her as a traitor and mentioned her perceived foreignness. The law firm Miller hired for the case,
Mishcon de Reya Mishcon de Reya LLP is a British law firm with offices in London and Singapore. Founded in 1937, it employs more than 1200 people with over 600 lawyers. It is regarded as forming part of the " Silver Circle" of leading UK law firms. In March 2 ...
, was subjected to abuse as a result of its involvement in the case, and Brexit supporters mounted a protest outside the firm's offices. A man, aged 55, was arrested in November 2016 on suspicion of racially aggravated malicious communications over threats to Miller, but was later told he would not be prosecuted. Another man, aged 50, was arrested in January 2017, also in relation to the complaint made in November; the second man was later named as
Rhodri Philipps Rhodri Colwyn Philipps, 4th Viscount St Davids (born 16 September 1966) is a British hereditary peer. A businessman and company director, , Philipps had been declared bankrupt three times, had a criminal conviction for financial mismanagement an ...
, 4th Viscount St Davids, who was charged on 7 March. Philipps, of Knightsbridge, London, described Miller as a "boat jumper" and added: "If this is what we should expect from immigrants, send them back to their stinking jungles". Philipps also posted "£5,000 for the first person to 'accidentally' run over this bloody troublesome first generation immigrant" on
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
. He pleaded "not guilty" to three charges of malicious communication under section 127 of the
Communications Act 2003 The Communications Act 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The act, which came into force on 25 July 2003, superseded the Telecommunications Act 1984. The new act was the responsibility of Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell. It ...
when he appeared at
Westminster Magistrates' Court Westminster Magistrates' Court is a magistrates' court at 181 Marylebone Road, London. The Chief Magistrate of England and Wales, who is the Senior District Judge of England and Wales, sits at the court, and all extradition and terrorism-rela ...
on 2 May 2017. At the May hearing, the prosecution said the crown would seek an increased sentence because of the racial aggravation factor. He was found guilty of two charges at his trial on 11 July 2017, at which he defended himself. Philipps described his own comments as "satire". He was later sentenced to 12 weeks in prison. At least eight other people were issued with
cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...
notices by the police. In August 2017, Miller said she had faced continuing threats of acid attacks in recent months, and fears leaving her home. In October 2019, detectives with the
Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
launched an investigation into a
GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the b ...
campaign seeking to raise £10,000 to hire a hitman to kill Miller.


Election activity


2017 general election

Miller organised a
crowdfunding Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...
campaign to back candidates opposed to a 'hard Brexit' in the 2017 general election. As of 21 April 2017, the campaign had raised over £300,000. On 26 April 2017, Miller launched the
Best for Britain Best for Britain is a civil society campaign, launched on 26 April 2017, to stop Brexit and continue the UK's membership of the European Union (EU). Since 2021, the organisation's aim has changed to encourage greater internationalism rather tha ...
campaign at the
Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...
in London. The campaign called for a tactical vote to ensure elected MPs have a real final vote on the Brexit deal. It also encouraged young people to become actively engaged in the Brexit debate. She stated publicly that she personally would vote
Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...
for the first time, having previously been a
Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
supporter. She left Best for Britain after the election, describing it as both "a room full of white males deciding what's going to happen to the country" and "undemocratic". She also launched a legal challenge against the
Conservative–DUP agreement The Conservative–DUP agreement between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) followed the 2017 United Kingdom general election which resulted in a hung parliament. Negotiations between the two parties began on 9 June, ...
, the
confidence-and-supply In a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster system, confidence and supply are required for a ruling cabinet to retain power in the lower house. A confidence-and-supply agreement is one whereby a party or independent members of par ...
agreement secured by
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
's government in the aftermath of the election.


2019 European Parliament election

On 8 May 2019, Miller set up a website, Remain United, to encourage
tactical voting Strategic voting, also called tactical voting, sophisticated voting or insincere voting, occurs in voting systems when a voter votes for another candidate or party than their ''sincere preference'' to prevent an undesirable outcome. For example, ...
in the EU parliamentary election on 23 May, to maximise the number of MEPs of various parties elected who support remaining in the EU.


Prorogation of parliament legal challenge

On 28 August 2019, Miller was one of a number of parties to launch legal proceedings against the Johnson government for prorogation of parliament, claiming to do so was unconstitutional. On 6 September 2019 the High Court ruled that the decision to suspend Parliament was lawful and dismissed her case but granted permission to appeal. A similar case lodged before the Scottish
Court of Session The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...
found several days later that prorogation was unlawful as it had "the effect of stymying Parliament", setting up a hearing before
the Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
for 17 September. On 24 September 2019, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that prorogation was unlawful.


Political activity

In June 2018, Miller led the People’s March for a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal alongside Liberal Democrat and Green party leaders
Vince Cable Sir John Vincent Cable (born 9 May 1943) is a British politician who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2017 to 2019. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Twickenham from 1997 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2019. He also served in the Cabinet a ...
and
Caroline Lucas Caroline Patricia Lucas (born 9 December 1960) is a British politician who has twice led the Green Party of England and Wales and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brighton Pavilion since the 2010 general election. She was re-elected ...
and Conservative
Anna Soubry Anna Mary Soubry (; born 7 December 1956) is a British barrister, journalist and former politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Broxtowe from 2010 to 2019. Known for her support of pro-European policies, she was originally elected ...
. In September 2018 Miller addressed the Liberal Democrat party conference where she told the delegates she was not a member of any party, and was speaking to them as a "friend" who felt a bond over so many issues, but added: "I am not addressing you as your leader in waiting."


True and Fair Party

In September 2021, Miller announced the foundation of a new political party called the True and Fair Party. The party was formally launched on 13 January 2022. On 1 February 2022, it was announced that the
Renew Party The Renew Party was a minor centrist political party in the United Kingdom. It was set up in 2017 to provide an alternative for moderate voters in the wake of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum. The party described i ...
had merged its operations into the True and Fair Party.https://trueandfairparty.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/True-Fair-Party-and-Renew-Party-Press-Release-1-February-2022.pdf?fbclid=IwAR30tY-MACYXXl3CetkrAFx_osjiZmqoXkO66mYhllgiludkN3OrwJgF-uw


References


External links

*
Miller's columns
for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Gina 1965 births 20th-century English businesspeople 21st-century English businesspeople English investment bankers English people of Indo-Guyanese descent English philanthropists British women activists Guyanese activists Guyanese women activists Guyanese businesspeople Guyanese emigrants to England Living people Women bankers Women philanthropists British politicians of Indian descent Guyanese people of Indian descent 20th-century English businesswomen 21st-century English businesswomen Alumni of the University of London