Boris Johnson wants to ‘understand intention’ behind David Cameron lobbying
Boris Johnson has today said a review into the David Cameron lobbying scandal will seek to “understand what the intention was” behind efforts to implement supply chain financing into government departments.
Johnson yesterday launched an independent review into Cameron’s efforts to lobby ministers on behalf of failed finance supply chain finance firm Greensill Capital.
The Cabinet Office will conduct a review into the former Prime Minister’s role in lobbying health secretary Matt Hancock and chancellor Rishi Sunak for Greensill while he worked at the firm as a part of a wider probe.
The inquiry, first reported by The Sun, will be led by Slaughter and May lawyer Nigel Boardman.
Speaking to Sky News today, Johnson said: “I’ve asked Nigel Boardman to have a look at this whole issue of supply chain finance and given him carte blanche to ask anybody whatever he needs to find out.
“I think people have just got questions that they need to satisfy themselves, including me, about how this supply chain finance stuff is meant to work, I don’t think it’s going on at present anywhere in government, but we need to understand what the intention was, how it came about and that’s what Nigel Boardman is going to do.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesperson said yesterday: “The Cabinet Office is commissioning an independent review on behalf of the Prime Minister to look at the issues of supply chain finance activities in government and the role Greensill played in those.
“The Prime Minister has called for the review to ensure the government is completely transparent about such activities and that people can see themselves that value for money was achieved for the taxpayer.
“It will also look at how contracts were secured and how business representatives engaged with government.”
Cameron is under fire for sending texts to Sunak in a bid to get an application for Greensill Capital to receive a government bailout approved.
The chancellor will answer questions about the scandal in parliament tomorrow, after Labour requested an urgent question on the matter.
It was also revealed by the Sunday Times that Cameron and Lex Greensill had gone for a drink in 2019 with health secretary Matt Hancock to lobby on behalf of Greensill Capital.
The pair set up the meeting to try to get Hancock to introduce a new payment system to the NHS, which was eventually introduced to the health service.
Cameron broke his silence on the lobbying scandal last night in an 1800-word statement to Press Association.
He said: “In my representations to government, I was breaking no codes of conduct and no government rules.
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“Ultimately, the outcome of the discussions I encouraged about how Greensill’s proposals might be included in the Government’s CCFF (Covid Corporate Financing Facility) initiative – and help in the wake of the coronavirus crisis – was that they were not taken up.
“So, I complied with the rules and my interventions did not lead to a change in the government’s approach to the CCFF.
“However, I have reflected on this at length. There are important lessons to be learnt. As a former Prime Minister I accept that communications with government need to be done through only the most formal of channels, so there can be no room for misinterpretation.”
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown today hit out at Cameron for his role with Greensill Capital.
He told the BBC: “Former prime ministers must never be lobbying for commercial purposes. Current ministers should not be entertaining such lobbying.
“It simply brings public service into disrepute.”
David Cameron’s involvement with Greensill began in 2012 when the Australian investment banker was made a special adviser to the Prime Minister.
He was brought into government by then cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood who gave Greensill access across government departments and his own desk in the Cabinet Office.
Cameron was made a senior adviser to Greensill Capital, a supply chain finance firm set up in 2011, after he left Number 10 and was given millions in stock options.
Cameron said yesterday that he had “very little” to do with Greensill when he was a government adviser
“The idea of my working for Greensill was never raised, or considered by me, until well after I left office,” he said.
Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds has called for Sunak to give a thorough explanation of his dealings with Cameron.
“Public money was put at risk by the Conservatives’ crony connections to Greensill Capital,” she said.
“That’s why we urgently need a full, transparent and thorough investigation into this affair.”