Lobbyists given access to confidential government Covid briefings
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An influential lobbyist was given access to UK government Covid briefings on future restrictions and briefed clients about an upcoming lockdown, it has been revealed.
Former Sun political editor, and current chairman of Portland Communications, George Pascoe-Watson worked as an unpaid adviser to the UK government during the first wave of Covid in April.
He had access for six months to daily briefings led by NHS Test and Trace minister Lord James Bethell and advised on how to communicate policy decisions to the public.
The Sunday Times reports that Pascoe-Watson emailed clients on October 15, telling them he had been “privately advised” that new London restrictions would last six months until the spring.
“Decision-makers have told me personally,” he wrote.
Two weeks later he wrote to clients to say Boris Johnson would implement another national lockdown and would “announce next week that he is prepared to ‘sacrifice November to save December’”.
The email was sent just days before the Prime Minister announced England would be locked down until 2 December at the earliest.
It comes as Labour has just called for a public inquiry into the awarding of Covid-related contracts by the UK government amid claims of widespread cronyism.
Pascoe-Watson told the Times that he had “fully declared my role and responsibilities at Portland Communications to the Department of Health and Social Care” and that “the information shared with clients on October 15 and 29 was in no way connected to the test and trace calls, in which I was no longer a participant”.
Environment secretary George Eustice told Times Radio that he thought Pascoe-Watson’s role was entirely above board.
“The reality is that in dealing with this pandemic lots of people have come forward to offer their help and I think in the case of George Pascoe-Watson and Lord Feldman these were unpaid roles,” he said.
“They were volunteering help, if you like, to assist government with what has been a very difficult situation, particularly around Test and Trace and the communications around that.
“And my understanding is that they all went through a Cabinet Office process and the Civil Service were involved in the recruitment and the porcessess around it.”