ICRD Seminars: Brexit in Focus: The Rights of European Citizens in the UK after Brexit – Speakers

Sameh Habeeb, Director of the International Centre for Relations & Diplomacy

Originating from Gaza, Palestine, Sameh worked as a journalist in the Gaza strip, covering the Arab Israeli conflict for international media. Since moving to London he has been involved in international political discourse around Middle East affairs. His work on the Arab Israeli conflict at the organisational level has spanned the past 14 years.

His most recent work involves acting as the media spokesperson for human rights organisation the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC), supervising awareness-raising and advocacy projects in Britain, Europe and at the UN. He has also appeared on the BBC, Sky News, CNN and Press TV.

Dimitri Scarlato, Representative of The 3 Million Campaign

Dimitri Scarlato is an Italian composer and conductor based in London since 2004. His activity spans from working on contemporary classic music to opera, theatre, films and music education as a lecturer at the Royal College of Music.

Highlights include having been the music/conducting coach for Sir Michael Caine on Youth, film by Oscar winning director Sorrentino.

Dimitri is also very passionate about citizens’ rights, and discussed this issue with members of the Conservative party as well as with MEPs and EP president Tajani in Bruxelles. An active representative of the3million, he is also a member of the Italian Committee in the UK (Comites), role that leads him to meet with all the Italian political and institutional figures involved in the negotiation.

Gina Miller, Co-Founder of SCM Direct, Transparency Activist and Philanthropist

Bloomberg described Gina Miller as an ‘Establishment Wrecking Ball’ but her drive for transparency, scrutiny and integrity is about reform, not wrecking. Her expertise and areas of work cover investments, charities, democracy and political processes; as well as social justice. As a passionate believer in responsible capitalism, Gina believes we all have a civic duty to be actively engaged in challenging contemporary issues facing businesses, politics and wider society.

Post the financial crisis, Gina and her husband Alan founded SCM Direct as a modern disruptive digital wealth manager centred on 100% transparency, low cost and investing with ethics.

In 2012 Gina launched the True and Fair Campaign, calling for an end to rip offs and dubious practices in the UK investment and pension industry. Gina’s campaigning has resulted in contributions to three EU Directives, which vastly enhance consumer protection from 2018.

In 2016, Gina successfully challenged the Government over its authority to implement Brexit, winning in both the High Court and Supreme Court. Gina continues a ‘democracy and legality’ watching brief of the UK Government’s activities as Brexit is progressed.

Tony Bunyon, Director of Statewatch

Tony Bunyan specialises in EU justice and home affairs, civil liberties, the state and freedom of information in the EU. He has been the Director of Statewatch since 1990 and edits Statewatch News online.

Tony is the author of “The history and practice of the Political Police in Britain” (1977), “Secrecy and openness in the EU” (1999) and “The Shape of Things to Come” (2009) and edited “The War on Freedom and Democracy” (2005). He has edited six more publications for Statewatch.

In 2001 (for access to EU documents) and in 2004 (for work on the war on terrorism and civil liberties) the “European Voice” newspaper selected him as one of the “EV50” – one of the fifty most influential people in the European Union. On behalf of Statewatch he has submitted ten successful complaints to the European Ombudsman against the Council of the European Union and the European Commission on public access to EU documents. In November 2011 he was given a Liberty Human Rights Award. He is a Visiting Research Fellow at London Metropolitan University and the University of Bristol.