Ministers give their lobbyist spouses access to Parliament
SENIOR MPs and peers, including a string of ministers, have given virtually unfettered access to Parliament to spouses involved in lobbying for companies and campaign groups, a Sunday Telegraph investigation reveals.
Karen Bradley, the Northern Ireland Secretary, and Sir Kevin Barron, the chairman of the Commons sleaze watchdog, are among a series of parliamentarians whose partners hold “spouse passes” entitling them to around-the-clock access to the Palace of Westminster despite their work for organisations that lobby MPs and ministers over policies and funding.
Mrs Bradley’s husband Neil is listed in the European Commission’s register of lobbyists as “group manager government affairs” at International Airlines Group, the owner of British Airways, while Lady Deane-Barron, an independent “government affairs consultant” until 2012, now works on “advocacy” at the YMCA charity.
In another case, Paul Kenward, who as managing director of British Sugar campaigned against taxing fizzy drinks, holds a pass sponsored by Victoria Atkins, his wife and the crime minister.
Meanwhile, Robin Walker, a Brexit minister, sponsors a pass for his wife Charlotte Keenan, who, while not involved in lobbying, is a senior executive at Goldman Sachs, which campaigned against Brexit.
The passes give partners access to a vast swathe of Parliament, including restaurants and bars, and allow them to bring up to six guests. They are intended to allow parliamentarians to see their partners and children with ease.
But there are no explicit rules banning their use for lobbying despite
similar bans associated with other types of parliamentary pass.
More than 900 MPs and peers have sought access to the estate for partners by obtaining a spouse pass.
The Sunday Telegraph obtained a list of peers sponsoring passes under the Freedom of Information Act, but the Commons refused to release an equivalent list of MPs, claiming it would amount to an “intrusion on private life”.
More than 80 other individuals have previously been stripped of another category of passes over concerns about their use for lobbying.
Mrs Bradley and Ms Atkins are among four ministers who sponsor passes for spouses involved in lobbying.
A spokesman for Mrs Bradley confirmed the minister’s husband attended meetings in Parliament relating to his work for IAG but said he “has never used his pass” for professional visits. While Ms Atkins also insisted: “My husband has never used the pass for work”.
Lord Bates, an international development minister, sponsors a pass for his wife, Xuelin, the secretary general of the China UK Business Association.
“My wife’s interests are fully declared and the pass is used for personal not professional purposes,” the peer said. He declined to say whether Lady Bates had brought professional associates onto the estate in the past.
Viscount Younger, a government whip, sponsors a pass for his wife Jennie, who until last year was head of global corporate communications at AstraZeneca, the pharmaceuticals giant, where her responsibilities included “government relations.”
A spokesman for Viscount Younger said: “Lady Younger has never used the pass in connection with her profes- sional interests, and so no conflict of interest arises.”
Damian Collins, chairman of the Commons culture committee, previously sponsored a pass for his wife Sarah, during the same period that she ran a public relations firm, which in an online profile said “applies brilliant creative thinking to public policy and reputational challenges.”
“I’ve never worked in public affairs while holding a [spouse] pass,” she said.
Ms Keenan’s role at Goldman Sachs relates to the bank’s corporate outreach work. She wore her pass while giving evidence to a Commons committee, although Mr Walker said the hearing was the only occasion it was used for professional purposes. “It gets used probably less than three times a year, purely for social purposes,” he said.
Sir Kevin and Lady Deane-Barron did not respond to questions.