Cabinet minister says David Cameron did nothing wrong in Greensill lobbying scandal
Environment secretary George Eustice has defended David Cameron for his role in the Greensill Capital lobbying scandal, saying the former Prime Minister did nothing wrong.
Eustice said today that Cameron “meticulously observed the rules” around lobbying, but that he perhaps should have written instead of texted ministers when working for the failed finance firm Greensill Capital.
Cameron will be the centre of several inquiries by Boris Johnson and a suite of parliamentary committees on Greensill Capital’s links to the government.
The former Prime Minister contacted Rishi Sunak and Matt Hancock on behalf of the supply chain finance firm in a bid to win government contracts and secure a bailout for the company.
Speaking to Sky News today, Eustice said: “Has he done anything wrong? Well, on the face of it, no. There’s a review that is going on, we mustn’t prejudge that.”
“I don’t think he took advantage of any rules, no. He meticulously observed the rules there that he himself actually put in place after some concerns around lobbying a decade ago. He put in place these restrictions on what ministers can do for a period of two years.”
A series of other revelations about the relationship between the government and the private sector have come to light since the Greensill Capital scandal erupted.
It was revealed last week that former senior civil servant Bill Crothers took up a job with Greensill Capital in 2015 while still working in Whitehall.
It emerged on Friday that a firm belonging to health secretary Matt Hancock’s family members had won NHS contracts.
The revelations have sparked calls for an overhaul of lobbying legislation.
When asked about rules on lobbying, Eustice said: “Fundamentally, I think the systems we have in place with ministers declaring interests with the ministerial code and the focus on that and how ministers conduct themselves in office is actually a pretty good one.
“But that is not to say you couldn’t make tweaks or changes, and also there will be a time and a place for that after these reviews have concluded.”