Former British prime minister defends lobbying for finance firm
FORMER British prime minister David Cameron has defended his lobbying of government ministers for his previous employer, nancial services rm Greensill, for access to government-backed coronavirus loans.
Cameron appeared in front of a special nance committee, part of British parliament, on Thursday where he gave evidence during an inquiry into the demise of the business.
The former politician joined the rm as an adviser in 2018 after leaving of ce in 2016.
Last April, weeks after Britain went into lockdown, Cameron began lobbying government ministers - including Chancellor Rishi Sunak - after Greensill was denied access to the loans.
But despite his attempts, Greensill, which loaned money to several companies including Britain’s third largest steel company, was rejected again and went bust in March 2021.
The British Parliament subsequently announced it was launching an inquiry into the company’s collapse after the Financial Times newspaper reported Cameron had lobbied the government for help.
During Thursday’s questioning session, Cameron insisted there was “absolutely no wrongdoing” in his actions and defended his efforts.
But he accepted that in future, former prime ministers “need to think differently and act differently” when working in their new jobs after they leave of ce.
“Rules alone are never enough,” he added.
During questioning, he also admitted having a “serious economic interest” in the company due to his salary and shares. However, he insisted he was motivated by the desire to help the British government and “get the nance schemes right.”