The British papers this morning are full of stories about Lord Browne’s downfall. The Daily Mail, sister paper of the Mail on Sunday, which first wanted to publish the story about Lord Browne’s former partner, has some of the fiercest coverage. My colleague Chris Hughes has been looking at what the future holds for Lord Browne, and points out that the damage done to his credibility by his lie to a court, however apparently insignificant and short-lived, will be hard to recover from.

Private equity, which thrives away from the limelight, is one likely option. He already has a role at Apax Partners, the buy-out firm, and his great success at BP was his deal-making. But his public face, if he has one, is most likely to be in some sort of charitable or campaigning work. As I pointed out here last week, Lord Browne has thought a lot about climate change, and wants to remain involved in the fight to avert the threat of global warming. It would be a shame if the scandal that brought him down also prevents him playing a role in that effort.

May 2nd, 2007 in BP | Permalink