Klaus Schwab reportedly told staff that the UK “must not see any improvement” in the World Economic Forum’s 2017/18 Global Competitiveness Report because a higher ranking could be “exploited by the Brexit camp.”
The draft tables had Britain jumping from seventh to fourth in the presentation. The published report pushed it down to eighth, with a 5.51 score, while peers held their positions.
“Brexit… will by definition weaken the UK’s markets component,” the final 2017 report warned.
These allegations sit in preliminary findings of an internal probe by Swiss law firm Homburger, triggered by a whistleblower who also accused Schwab of misusing funds, sending suggestive emails, and meddling in other rankings.
Switzerland’s SonntagsZeitung obtained portions of the draft report. If the quoted emails are authentic, the issue is no longer one man’s ideology; it is whether a flagship benchmark was reverse-engineered to fit it.
The same Swiss investigation says Schwab intervened to spare India a 20-place drop—“We must protect our relationship with India before Davos 2019.” India ultimately slipped just one slot to 40th.
Brexiteers rushed to frame the leak as proof of a “globalist” agenda. Nigel Farage called Schwab “a dangerous globalist manipulator,” while Priti Patel labelled the move “a stain on the reputation of the WEF.”
Schwab says he can “refute all the accusations” and now “feels deceived” by the board for breaking a supposed media truce, saying he cooperated on the understanding there would be no public commentary before the final report.
The WEF has declined comment until August.
Information for this briefing was found via The Telegraph and the sources mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
