Gina Miller

Gina Miller
Born	Gina Nadira Singh (1965-04-19) April 19, 1965 British Guiana
Occupation(s)	Business entrepreneur, activist
Known for	Initiating legal case R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union; True and Fair Campaign founder

Gina Nadira Miller (née Singh; born 19 April 1965) is a business entrepreneur and activist of Guyanese-British heritage, renowned for initiating the 2016 legal case R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which contested the UK government's power to proceed with Brexit without parliamentary consent. In September 2019, she won a legal battle against the government's attempt to suspend Parliament, supported by former Prime Minister Sir John Major and shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti.

In 2012, Miller launched the True and Fair Campaign, focused on combating unethical practices within the investment and pension sectors. She was also a contender in the 2025 election for Chancellor at the University of Cambridge.

Biography

Born Gina Nadira Singh in British Guiana, Miller is the daughter of Savitri and Doodnauth Singh, who later served as Guyana's Attorney General. Her heritage is Hindu Indo-Guyanese, with her father's family originating from Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, India. Growing up in post-independence Guyana, she relocated to England at age ten to attend Moira House, an independent boarding school in Eastbourne.

At fourteen, due to currency restrictions in Guyana that limited financial support from her family, Miller took summer jobs as a chambermaid. She pursued legal studies at the Polytechnic of East London (now University of East London), but left before completing her finals because of family circumstances. Miller has revealed that she endured a violent assault during law school by fellow students who mistakenly identified her ethnicity, which contributed to her decision to discontinue her law education. Subsequently, she obtained a marketing degree followed by an MSc in human resource management at the University of East London. In 2017, that institution awarded her an honorary Doctorate of Laws.

Her professional journey began with owning a property photography laboratory in 1987 and working in marketing and event management for the BMW Fleet Division in 1990. In 1992, she established a marketing agency specializing in financial services and initiated the Senate investment conference series in 1996. Shifting towards consultancy in marketing by 2006, Miller co-founded SCM Private (now SCM Direct), an investment firm, alongside her husband Alan Miller in 2009. She has actively campaigned against undisclosed fees and mis-selling within the asset management industry. In 2009, she created Miller Philanthropy (later renamed True and Fair Foundation), which ceased operations in 2019. Additionally, she founded MoneyShe.com in 2014 to empower female investors.

Miller has been married three times and is a mother of three.

In October 2017, she was honored by Powerlist as the "UK's most influential black person," an award acknowledging individuals who have made significant contributions to African and African Caribbean communities. The selection committee included former High Court judge Dame Linda Dobbs and Apprentice winner Tim Campbell (businessman), who assessed nominees based on their capacity to drive change. She also secured the 26th position on the GG2 Power List highlighting influential British Asians.

True and Fair Foundation

Miller established the True and Fair Foundation in 2009 with the goal of encouraging philanthropy and more effective charitable giving in a context of growing inequality and diminishing government support. The Foundation aimed to inspire wealthy individuals to contribute through more transparent and impactful philanthropy. It operated as a registered charity under English legislation but was deregistered in July 2019.

In December 2015, the Foundation released a report titled A Hornet’s Nest: A Review of Charitable Spending by UK Charities, which asserted that 1,020 out of 5,453 charities allocated less than fifty percent of their income to charitable purposes. This publication attracted criticism for allegedly misunderstanding how charities report their finances, especially concerning revenues from trading subsidiaries such as charity shops, resulting in a distorted representation.

The Foundation wound down its activities during the autumn of 2018 and officially closed in 2019 following regulatory examination. It received formal guidance from regulators in 2016, and by March 2019, the Charity Commission expressed concerns regarding its adherence to compliance standards.

True and Fair Campaign

In January 2012, Miller initiated the True and Fair Campaign to combat financial mis-selling and scandals by promoting greater openness. The campaign encountered resistance from segments within the City of London, leading to Miller being dubbed the "black widow spider" amid claims that her advocacy posed a threat to the financial industry.

On 27 September 2021, Miller launched the True and Fair Party with the objective of fostering higher levels of transparency, accountability, and competence than those demonstrated by existing political parties.

Brexit legal challenge

Following the June 2016 UK EU membership referendum, Miller retained the services of the City of London law firm Mishcon de Reya to contest the Government’s authority to trigger Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union using prerogative powers. She argued that only Parliament possessed the power to revoke rights it had granted.

On 3 November 2016, the High Court ruled that parliamentary legislation was required before Article 50 could be activated by the Government. Miller expressed hope that this ruling would be respected and would ensure a proper parliamentary debate, underscoring the principle of parliamentary sovereignty.

Motivations

Miller explained that her legal challenge was motivated by a dedication to uphold parliamentary sovereignty and democratic principles. Nevertheless, some Brexit advocates accused her of attempting to delay or obstruct Brexit’s implementation.

Outcome

The Government appealed to the Supreme Court in December 2016. The Court President remarked that the appeal raised important constitutional questions and that all arguments would be thoroughly examined before delivering judgment. In January 2017, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s decision by an 8–3 majority.

After the government’s appeal was rejected, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU introduced legislation on 26 January 2017, which was passed without changes on 16 March as the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017.

The United Kingdom formally exited the European Union on 31 January 2020 after MPs approved the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill by a vote of 358 to 234, prohibiting any extension of the transition period beyond its scheduled conclusion in 2020. Shortly thereafter, Miller observed a minute of silence outside her residence.

Harassment and Threats

Following the legal proceedings, Miller endured extensive abuse from Brexit advocates, which included racial insults and death threats. Within two days after the verdict, her Twitter account was mentioned in over 79,000 tweets, with around 13% containing hostile language, frequently branding her a traitor and attacking her alleged foreign background. The law firm representing her, Mishcon de Reya, also became a target of protests and verbal assaults.

Two individuals were detained in connection with threats against Miller. The first arrest occurred in November 2016 but did not lead to prosecution. The second individual, Rhodri Philipps, 4th Viscount St Davids, faced charges in March 2017 for posting racist threats on Facebook directed at Miller and others. Although he pleaded not guilty, he was convicted on two counts in July 2017 and received a 12-week prison sentence.

At least eight additional people were issued police warnings to cease their threatening behavior. By August 2017, Miller disclosed ongoing intimidation, including concerns about potential acid attacks that limited her freedom of movement.

In October 2019, detectives from the Metropolitan Police investigated a GoFundMe fundraiser that sought to collect £10,000 to hire a hitman to assassinate Miller.

2017 General Election

Miller spearheaded a crowdfunding initiative to back candidates opposing a 'hard Brexit' during the 2017 general election, successfully raising over £300,000 by April of that year. On 26 April, she unveiled the Best for Britain campaign at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. The campaign promoted tactical voting to secure MPs’ decisive influence over the Brexit deal and encouraged greater participation from younger voters. For the first time, she publicly endorsed the Liberal Democrats, having previously supported Labour. After the election, Miller departed from Best for Britain, criticizing it as being dominated by "a room full of white males" and describing it as "undemocratic."

She also launched a legal challenge against the Conservative–DUP agreement, the confidence-and-supply arrangement formed by Theresa May's government following the election.

2019 European Parliament Election

On 8 May 2019, Miller introduced Remain United via a dedicated website aimed at encouraging tactical voting in the European Parliament elections held on 23 May. The goal was to maximise the number of MEPs advocating for the UK’s continued membership in the EU.

Legal Challenge to Parliamentary Prorogation

On 28 August 2019, Miller took part in legal proceedings contesting the Johnson administration’s advice to the Queen to prorogue parliament, arguing that this action was unconstitutional. The High Court initially deemed the issue non-justiciable and dismissed the case on 6 September but permitted an appeal. Concurrently, Scotland’s Court of Session ruled the prorogation unlawful, leading to a Supreme Court hearing scheduled for 17 September. On 24 September 2019, the Supreme Court unanimously declared the prorogation unlawful and null, stating it unjustifiably hindered Parliament from executing its constitutional duties.

Political Engagement

In June 2018, Miller co-led the People’s March for a People’s Vote on the final Brexit deal alongside leaders from the Liberal Democrat and Green parties—Vince Cable and Caroline Lucas—as well as Conservative MP Anna Soubry.

In September 2018, Miller spoke at the Liberal Democrat party conference. She emphasized that although she was not a party member, she addressed attendees as an ally sharing common views and clarified she was not positioning herself as a "leader in waiting."

True and Fair Party

In September 2021, Miller revealed plans to establish the True and Fair Party, which was officially inaugurated on 13 January 2022. Subsequently, on 1 February 2022, the Renew Party integrated into True and Fair. In July 2023, reports emerged that the online bank Monzo intended to terminate the party’s bank account without providing a clear reason. Monzo later clarified that political parties are not accepted as clients and that the account had been initially categorized incorrectly.

Miller represented True and Fair as their candidate in Epsom and Ewell during the 2024 general election, where she placed sixth, securing 1.5% of the votes and forfeiting her deposit.

External links

• Official website of the True and Fair Party
• Columns by Gina Miller featured in The Guardian