Snouts in trough! 52 ex-ministers land plum private jobs

THE revolving door in Whitehall in which former ministers and top-ranking civil servants take lucrative private-sector jobs has been spinning faster than ever.

Some 52 ex-ministers gained official approval for roles with big business, charities or public speaking agencies in 2016/17 – up from just 33 the year before.

They include allies of David Cameron and George Osborne who fell foul of Theresa May’s reshuffle just hours after she became Prime Minister last year.

No politicians are thought to have been turned down for a position by the official regulator, despite concerns over conflicts of interest.

Top of the jobs league table is former Cabinet Office minister Lord Maude, who took nine in just 12 months.

Ex-PM Mr Cameron, who quit after losing the Brexit vote last June, and ex-Chancellor George Osborne, who was sacked by Mrs May, took four each.

Mr Osborne earns £650,000 a year for working one day a week as an adviser at the Black Rock Investment Institute, and has taken home hundreds of thousands of pounds for making speeches.

After the end of the year covered by the annual report, he also became editor of the London Evening Standard.

The figures were published in the annual report of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which critics say is toothless.

The report shows there was a sharp increase in the number of senior civil servants moving into business.

A total of 55 mandarins were given the go-ahead to take private- sector positions – up from 36 in 2015/16. More than 40 per cent of the applications were from the Ministry of Defence.

The news will reignite fears over the revolving door from the upper echelons of the public to the private sector, with ministers and mandarins often getting jobs in their area of expertise.

The Mail revealed last year how twothirds of ministers and civil servants took a job in the sector they worked in while in office.

Critics say the easy path from public to private employment raises the risk of conflicts of interest and profiteering.

Acoba chairman Baroness Browning said successive governments have believed society benefits when public servants take business roles. But she added: ‘This must be balanced against the risks of an appointment being seen as a reward for decisions made while in office or that an organisation may gain an unfair advantage by employing a former crown servant or minister.

‘These risks are greater when an individual seeks to move into a role within the same sector for which he or she had responsibility in office, which is why the committee will often recommend more stringent conditions, such as a waiting period or specific restrictions on the type of work an individual can engage in.’

Although the report did not include any examples of Acoba telling applicants a potential job was unsuitable, it did reveal that eight applications were withdrawn, but did not say why.

It attributed the high number of ex-ministers looking for new roles to Theresa May’s reshuffle after she became Tory leader.

The report said: ‘The continued high volume of applications can largely be attributed to the change in Prime Minister in July 2016 and resulting ministerial reshuffle and the 2015 UK general election.’ While the number of civil servants seeking advice from Acoba went up from 36 to 55, applications for separate jobs rose from 110 to 140.

The number of ministers seeking advice had risen from 33 to 52, while the total number of applications fell from 123 to 104.

Other ministers to have gone through the revolving door include Ed Vaizey, who was sacked as culture minister by Mrs May and has taken six jobs.

Michael Gove, who was sacked by Mrs May last year but is now back in the Cabinet, took up three roles; while Nicky Morgan, also sacked by Mrs May, has notched up two.

Mr Gove has given up the jobs since he was appointed Environment Secretary last month.

After losing his seat in 2015, Lib Dem leader Vince Cable took two positions; while Nick Clegg took one. Former Lib Dem energy secretary Sir Edward Davey took on two jobs.

Tory former Cabinet members William Hague and Sir Oliver Letwin also took new positions.

‘Gain an unfair advantage’