ACoBA (Advisory Committee on Business Appointments) Chair Lord Pickles has written to Kwasi Kwarteng over his potential new role at green energy company FFI, warning the former Chancellor that his appointment as a paid ‘senior adviser’ poses “real and perceived risks” that it might “provide an unfair advantage” to the firm. Kwarteng met with FFI leaders while still in Ministerial office, although the Committee have decided his ability to offer an unfair advantage is limited… provided he accepts the following conditions:
- a waiting period of 12 months from your last day in ministerial office;
- you should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of yourself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to you from your time in ministerial office;
- for two years from your last day in ministerial office, you should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government or its arms’ length bodies on behalf of Fortescue Future Industries (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients); nor should she make use, directly or indirectly, of her contacts in the government to influence policy, secure business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage Fortescue Future Industries (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients);
- for two years from your last day in ministerial office, you should not advise Fortescue Future Industries (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) on the UK energy sector;
- for two years from your last day in ministerial office, you should not have any engagement on behalf of Fortescue Future Industries (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) with the UK government or its arm’s length bodies; and
- for two years from your last day in ministerial service, you should not provide advice to Fortescue Future Industries (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients) on the terms of, or with regard to the subject matter of, a bid with, or contract relating directly to the work of the UK government or its arm’s length bodies.
Read the full letter below:
Infosys, the company founded by Rishi Sunak’s father-in-law and in which his wife Akshata Murthy has a substantial shareholding, has been found to have paid $16 million Synergy 360, a lobbying firm reportedly asked to send profits to a trust partly owned by former Australian government minister Stuart Robert. Under fire down under…
The allegation made to the Australian Parliament’s Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) was that Robert also used his position to intervene in the distribution of government contracts, with the JCPAA now investigating potential “tainted contracts”. Speaking last week, Australian Minister Bill Shorten said:
“The initial report detailed how Mr Robert personally intervened in contracts worth $274m awarded to Indian software giant Infosys […] Flowing from these disturbing revelations, Services Australia and the NDIS investigated potentially tainted contracts linked to Synergy 360.”
Infosys say nothing untoward happened and they are no longer involved with Synergy 360. Robert himself says it’s “patently incorrect and outrageous” to suggest wrongdoing. Perhaps at the next Sunak-Murthy family dinner, Rishi will be able to offer some advice on how to deal with sleaze allegations…
The Shadow Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, has had another brush with the private sector paying for his parliamentary staff. It will be of no surprise to co-conspirators, that despite having previously pledged to ban every type of ‘dodgy lobbying’, he accepted a secondment of a lobbyist from the Lowick Group to become his parliamentary assistant. Labour have simultaneously been attacking the influence of lobbyists…
The Lowick Group lobby on behalf of fast fashion sweat shop giant BooHoo. BooHoo of course being notorious for forcing staff to work in dangerous conditions for illegal wages. The lobbyist in question was valued at £3,392.25 for 26 working days, which whilst a suspiciously low daily rate for a lobbyist, is much more than Boohoo pay their workers…
The executive at Lowick Group that took this secondment is Lucas Patrick-Short, a former staffer for the Neo-Conservative Henry Jackson Society. Guido questions whether or not the influence of the HJS has made it’s way to the dizzy heights of the Shadow Business policy desk…
OpenDemocracy has today revealed that Labour cosied up to scandal-hit accountancy firms PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Ernst and Young (EY) by accepting staff secondment freebies. All the while Rachel Reeves called for them to be broken up and regulated…
Labour have also accepted staffing resources from Hydrogen lobby group Beyond 2050 Limited – just as the party has seemed to embrace the industry. Meanwhile, Guido has previously revealed Jonathan Reynolds’ willingness to provide access to staff from HSBC and NatWest. All in spite of Labour’s pledge to “clean up Westminster” and introduce new lobbying rules.
These aren’t the only companies given access by the Shadow Cabinet; John Healey has been given hired hands by investment advisers Linchpin Technology Services, and Rosena Allin-Khan has accepted staff funding from housing developer Henley Homes. Surely unrelated to Sir Keir’s newfound desire to pave over the Green Belt…
Anneliese Dodds really made the most of her handouts, with PR company Weber Shandwick providing staff with the equivalent value of £55,800. The same Weber Shandwick who worked to cleanse the reputation of Egypt’s dissent-stifling General Intelligence Service. More relevant to her brief as Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities, Weber Shandwick were also behind Bud Light’s ill-fated partnership with trans activist Dylan Mulvaney…
Scott Benton, elected as the Conservative MP for Blackpool South, last night had the Conservative whip removed following a Times sting. The MP, who also chairs the APPG on betting and gambling, was filmed offering to lobby ministers on behalf of investors – he even pledged to leak a copy of the gambling harms white paper 48 hours in advance. If Benton had acted on his words, it would be a breach of paid advocacy rules.
Scott had the whip suspended last night – after he referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. Benton also laid out his defence to the Times:
“I was concerned that what was being asked of me was not within parliamentary rules… [I] contacted the Commons Registrar and the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner who clarified these rules for me and had no further contact with the company … I did this before being made aware that the company did not exist.”
All eyes on the standards commissioner.
According to polling aggregator, UK Polling Report, Blackpool South is set to turn red in any event at the next election – no doubt accounting for why Benton was so quick to get on the ‘displaced list’ of Conservative MPs affected by boundary changes, to be parachuted into new seats. Guido doubts having the whip removed will enhance his prospects…
Health Select Committee Chair Steve Brine is under investigation by the Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg over allegations of lobbying and corruption exposed in the Telegraph’s Lockdown Files. The probe will look into alleged breaches of “paid advocacy” and “declaration of an interest” rules, after WhatsApp messages revealed Brine had been “trying for months” to lobby the head of NHS England despite a ban on MPs lobbying for any firm within six months of receiving a reward. If Greenberg finds Brine has broken the rules, the case goes to a committee of MPs to determine the sanction. Which could lead to a Commons suspension… and a by-election.
