The Sunday Telegraph

Cameron axed from children’s parliament due to Greensill

- By Steve Bird

DAVID CAMERON has been dropped from promoting a children’s parliament project owing to the damage to his reputation from the Greensill scandal.

The former prime minister was due to be included alongside Theresa May as a supporter of Lord Bird’s Bill to promote the interests of young people when drawing up Government policy.

However, staff at the peer’s office demanded Mr Cameron be removed from publicity material over fears his involvemen­t in the lobbying row could tarnish the scheme.

Lord Bird, founder of The Big Issue and co-chairman of the All Party Parliament­ary Group for Future Generation­s, is inviting more than 600 youngsters aged between seven and 13 to debate climate change at the “virtual parliament”.

The one-hour “House of Children” will take place in October, before the climate change conference in Glasgow, and will use computer technology to recreate a digital Westminste­r debating chamber. It will then be posted on YouTube and Facebook.

An email thread seen by The Sunday Telegraph shows that one of Lord Bird’s senior staff amended draft promotiona­l material about the event mentioning that Mr Cameron had been “very supportive” of the Future Generation­s Bill.

However, a member of Lord Bird’s staff replied: “I don’t know whether we would want DC [David Cameron] mentioned given all of the stuff he’s now embroiled in.”

The email was written days before Mr Cameron appeared before two Commons committees where he was told by MPs that his reputation was in “tatters” after persistent­ly lobbying ministers on behalf of the controvers­ial bank.

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