‘Kick out the lobbyists’ says MP in wake of Tory cronyism claims
A YORKSHIRE MP has called for lobbyists to be kicked out of Westminster and Whitehall as the Government came under further pressure over David Cameron’s push for support for finance firm Greensill Capital.
Hemsworth Labour MP Jon Trickett yesterday said the saga was the “tip of the iceberg” of cronyism, and that an inquiry announced by the Government sounded “like a whitewash”.
Mr Trickett, speaking in the Commons after Labour secured an urgent question on the situation, said it was a “breach of longstanding British value that high office is not a grubby route through to great riches in the afterlife” that former Prime Minister Mr Cameron had lobbied Chancellor Rishi Sunak over support for Greensill Capital before its collapse.
But Business Minister Paul Scully said there was a difference between the number of meeting requests a Minister may receive, and how many take place.
“I was absolutely clear that the Chancellor rejected what was put forward by Greensill, and rejected what was put forward by David Cameron,” he said.
Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton Kevin Hollinrake said the urgent question was “blatant political opportunism” but he said there was a “scandal” behind the Greensill affair.
It came as Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warned there was a danger that Liberty Steel, whose main financial backer was Greensill, could be forced to close some of its UK plants. Mr Kwarteng said the firm – which has 12 plants in the UK including in Rotherham and Stocksbridge – had “good assets” that could be made to work.
Late yesterday it emerged the former head of Whitehall procurement became an adviser to Greensill Capital while still working as a civil servant in a move approved by the Cabinet Office.
Correspondence between the Cabinet Office and the head of the official Advisory Committee on Business Appointments revealed that Bill Crothers joined Greensill as a part-time adviser to the board in 2015, in a move described by Labour as an “extraordinary and shocking revelation”.
THE COMMONS will vote today on whether to establish a parliamentary inquiry into former Prime Minister David Cameron’s lobbying activities.
A plan put forward by Labour would create a new Commons select committee to investigate lobbying, including Mr Cameron’s activities in support of collapsed lender Greensill Capital.
If MPs approve the motion, the cross-party committee would investigate whether current laws are sufficient to prevent “inappropriate lobbying” of Ministers and officials.
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves urged Tory MPs to back the motion if they want to “stop the cronyism rampant in their party and in government”. Opposition day motions are not usually binding on the Government, but because this is calling for Parliament rather than Ministers to establish an inquiry it would lead to the creation of the Investigation Into Lobbying of Government committee.
The committee would have the power to “send for persons, papers and records” – giving it the ability to summon Mr Cameron and Ministers including Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Matt Hancock to answer questions.
Mr Cameron sent text messages to the Chancellor and reportedly took Mr Hancock for a “private drink” with his employer Lex Greensill.
Labour has claimed that a separate inquiry established by Boris Johnson, which will be led by lawyer Nigel Boardman, will be a “Conservative cover up”.
Mr Johnson told broadcasters yesterday: “I’ve asked Nigel Boardman to have a look at this whole issue of supply chain finance and given him pretty much carte blanche to ask anybody whatever he needs to find out. I would like it to be done quickly, but I want him to have the maximum possible access so we can all understand exactly what has happened, and that will of course be presented to Parliament in due course.”
But Ms Reeves said: “Any Conservative who wants to stop the cronyism rampant in their party and in Government must vote with Labour this week to uncover once and for all the truth behind this scandal.
“The Greensill scandal is just the tip of the iceberg in Conservative cronyism, which has been endemic during the pandemic and long before – laced through billions of pounds of contracts paid for by taxpayers and a slew of troubling senior appointments.”
The motion will not pass without the support of Conservative MPs, something that is unlikely on an Opposition proposal.
It comes after Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds was granted an urgent Commons question calling on the Chancellor to explain his involvement with the Greensill affair.
But the Government argued the wording of the question meant it should instead be dealt with by junior Business Minister Paul Scully because officials said Greensill was chosen as a lender by the British Business Bank.
The Greensill scandal is just the tip of the iceberg in Conservative cronyism. Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Leeds West MP.