after he left office, he, cameron, became a paid lobbyist for lex greensill. next thing we know, cameron arranged access for greensill with cabinet ministers, ministers and senior officials, and he lobbied for taxpayers' money on behalf of greensill capital. officials were also involved, he said, one working for both the government and greensill. does the prime minister accept there a revolving door — indeed, an open door — between his conservative government and paid lobbyists? mr speaker, this is a government and a party that has been consistently tough on lobbying. and, indeed, we introduced legislation saying that there should be no taxpayer—funded lobbying, we put in a register for lobbyists. and there's one party, mr speaker, that actually voted to repeal the 2014 lobbying act — and that was the labour party, in their historic 2019 election manifesto, which he has yet to repudiate! who was it who introduced that legislation? david cameron. who was it who voted for the legislation? half the conservative front bench. we said it wouldn't be tough en

he says impression has been created that lex greensill lex greensill at this stage. as i netting twice at most in my entire time in five minister. —— as i recall, i met him twice at most. but he did work — recall, i met him twice at most. but he did work at number ten and had an e—mail address and telephone number number ten. e—mail address and telephone number numberten. he e—mail address and telephone number number ten. he did e—mail address and telephone number numberten. he did indeed. so, that is david, was much argument about the closeness or otherwise of their relationship when mr cameron was my minister. let relationship when mr cameron was my minister. , ., , ., ., ., ., minister. let us fast forward to a mr prime. _ minister. let us fast forward to a mr prime, cameron _ minister. let us fast forward to a mr prime, cameron is _ minister. let us fast forward to a mr prime, cameron is no - minister. let us fast forward to a mr prime, cameron is no longer| minister. let us fast forward to a - mr prime, cameron is no longer prime minister or in pol

so far he has not commented and neither had lex greensill a - and neither had lex greensill a source close to him said his scheme is offered free to the nhs. mr cameron isn't being accused of breaking any rules with this meeting that there are some unanswered questions, critics who say the rules themselves should be tough and what he had done his put some very senior ministers in quite an awkward position this week.— ministers in quite an awkward position this week. helen talking to ben brown- — shops, pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and gyms are among businesses making preparations to reopen with the easing of lockdown in england tomorrow. more than 400,000 nonessential shops are expected to open their doors. schools also return in scotland and wales where restrictions about travelling across the border are also lifted and shops can reopen. in northern ireland nonessential retail remains closed but can now operate click and collect services. here's our business correspondent katy austin. getting a shop ready is a big job. here in leamington spa, staff are back from furlough, sor

bill carruthers went to work for lex greensill in 2015— went to work for lex greensill in 2015 which — went to work for lex greensill in 2015 which is a pretty comfortable arrangement. there was a three month period _ arrangement. there was a three month period where _ arrangement. there was a three month period where he was working for a both greensill capital and the british— both greensill capital and the british government. an extraordinary set up _ british government. an extraordinary set up this — british government. an extraordinary setup. this is what has caused some set up. this is what has caused some panic— set up. this is what has caused some panic now— setup. this is what has caused some panic now in — setup. this is what has caused some panic now in whitehall today. i think— panic now in whitehall today. i think everybody woke up this morning saying _ think everybody woke up this morning saying what is going on here? the cabinet _ saying what is going on here? the cabinet secretary sign the case after— cabinet secretary sign the case after a — cabinet

and greensill is run by a man called lex greensill, who was, actually, formerly an adviser to david cameron's government when he was prime minister. so, what has emerged today are further details in the sunday times about a meeting that took place in october 2019 between the health secretary, lex greensill and david cameron, when david cameron was employed by mr greensill. this was at a time, they said it was a private drink that they met for, but this was at a time when mr greensill was trying to get the nhs to use an app that he'd devised to allow staff to be able to get some of their pay daily rather than having to wait until payday. now, he'd submitted the idea for it a couple of months prior to this drink, and matt hancock had asked officials to look at it. actually, they'd looked at it and said that the proposal was good in principle, and then some nhs trusts did go on to use this system during the pandemic. so, the questions are around... you know, always with lobbying is how was the access made, what sort of access did you get, and then how did the person who was being lobbied respond

after he left office, he — cameron — became a paid lobbyist for lex greensill. next thing we know, cameron arranged access for greensill with cabinet ministers, ministers and senior officials, and he lobbied for taxpayers' money on behalf of greensill capital. officials were also involved, he said, with one, bill crothers, advising greensill while still a civil servant. does the prime minister accept there's a revolving door — indeed, an open door — between his conservative government and paid lobbyists? mr speaker, this is a government and a party that has been consistently tough on lobbying. and indeed, we introduced legislation saying there should be no taxpayer—funded lobbying. quangos should not be involved in getting involved with lobbying. we put in a register for lobbyists. keir starmer said what was needed was a full parliamentary inquiry. the prime minister disagreed. his own proposal is simply to have, yet again, to have politicians marking their own homework. what the country wants — that's all it is, a committee of mps to look at it — it w

the next year david cameron arranged a private drink with matt hancock and lex greensill last year he texted rishi sunak seeking access for greensill to a coronavirus support scheme. officials as well as ministers are defending the accident actions. will crothers began working part—time for greensill in 2013 when still a civil servant, a move he says was approved and not uncommon. politicians are also sides at westminster accept there is a problem that needs fixing but there are not many ready solutions to be found. and we can speak tojonathan now. the debate getting under way. how do you assess the town, the mood in the house at the moment? i you assess the town, the mood in the house at the moment?— house at the moment? i think what boris house at the moment? i think what itoris johnson _ house at the moment? i think what boris johnson said _ house at the moment? i think what boris johnson said at _ house at the moment? i think what boris johnson said at prime - borisjohnson said at prime minister's questions is the first suggestion from him, first acceptance from him that there

he is with the aptly named lex greensill, who took— with the aptly named lex greensill, who took a — with the aptly named lex greensill, who took a job with, lobbying the government on behalf of the cup he wall in_ government on behalf of the cup he wall in line — government on behalf of the cup he wall in line for some code of windfall. _ wall in line for some code of windfall, he was paid in shares, and the latest _ windfall, he was paid in shares, and the latest of — windfall, he was paid in shares, and the latest of the limits are it also appears — the latest of the limits are it also appears that the entire civil service _ appears that the entire civil service is— appears that the entire civil service is being caught up in this scandal. — service is being caught up in this scandal, because we have had the release _ scandal, because we have had the release today of letters from the business — release today of letters from the business survives —— advisory council, sank a very senior— —— advisory council, sank a very senior british _ —— advisory council,

so far, he has not commented and neither has lex - commented and neither has lex greensill, although a source close to him said his scheme was offered free to the nhs. mr cameron isn't being accused of breaking any rules with this meeting, but there are some unanswered questions. there are critics who say the rules themselves should be tougher, and of course, he has put some senior ministers in an awkward position this week. helen catt, our political _ awkward position this week. helen catt, our political correspondent. i a man has been charged with murdering one of britain's richest men in dorset last week. sir richard sutton was attacked at his home on wednesday. a woman in her sixties, believed to be his partner, was seriously injured in the incident and remains in hospital in a critical condition. thomas schreiber, who's 3a, is due to appear in court tomorrow. there's been another eruption from the volcano on the caribbean island of st vincent. after remaining quiet for nearly 42 years, la soufriere first erupted on friday. heavy ashfall has caused power outages and cut off water

can the secretary of state explain why, following a private drink he had with lex greensill and david cameron, that greensill was handed an nhs payroll financing contract which sought to convert income from nhs staff pay packets into bonds to sell internationally, to effectively make money on the back of nhs staff in a pandemic? why was that contract given without tender? why was that meeting he had not declared? and what pressure did he put on officials to hand this contract to greensill? secretary of state. thank you very much, mr speaker. ministers were not involved in the decision by nhs shared business services to facilitate the provision of salary advances and pilot schemes. and absolutely, i attended a social meeting organised by the former prime minister. and given that departmental business came up, i reported to officials in the normal way. there is a wider pattern of behaviour, isn't there? we've seen ppe contracts go to tory donors, we've seen a pub landlord whatsapping him, and then the landlord gets a testing contract. we've seen a us insurance firm taking over gp contra

david cameron and lex greensill, a close professional relationship now at the centre of a growing row about access to people in power. is there a problem of sleaze in your government, prime minister? borisjohnson has promised to give free rein to a lawyer reviewing relations between lex greensill�*s now collapsed company and government, but the questions keep coming. questions to the prime minister. from labour, a call for a full inquiry led by mps, including a reset of the rules around lobbying. does the prime minister believe that the current lobbying rules are fit purpose? top civil servants should be able to engage with business and should have experience of the private sector. when i look at the accounts i'm reading today, it's not clear that those boundaries were...have been properly understood. labour's charge — that links between business and government are just too close. does the prime minister accept there's a revolving door, indeed an open door, between his conservative government and paid lobbyists? mr speaker, this is a government and a party that has been consistent

, the finance firm run by lex greensill. earlier in the month it came out that david cameron had texted rishi sunak on his private phone. the request was made was refused and greensill capital has since collapsed. rishi sunak released his text messages earlier this week. then the sunday times today has these new details about this drink that mr cameron and mr greensill went with the health secretary, matt hancock. this is when mr greensill was trying to get the nhs to use an app was trying to get the nhs to use an app from his firm to pay nurses and doctors. that was looked at and the advice from civil servants is that the idea in principle was good, but sources insist that matt hancock wanted other suppliers to be offered the same work and in the end it will be up to local nhs managers to do that. this was then adopted by some nhs trusts. none of this is against lobbying rules, but what it does is add fuel to the fire of critics who say this whole world of lobbying is a bit murky and needs to be more transparent as to who i

lex greensill, who was the supposed whiz kid behind this, was an adviser to david cameron's government when he was in power. but the roles reversed a few years later and david cameron was lobbying on his behalf, trying to get the company access to emergency covid loans. and he texted the current chancellor about it. he now says, "maybe i shouldn't have texted him". and we now know he was also lobbying the treasury, reaching out to people he knew from his time in office like tom scholar. and we also know in the last couple of hours that he was also sending a lot of e—mails to some powerful people at the bank of england too. these conversations are legal. and we should remember. these conversations are legal. phoning your local mp and talking about their constituents' concerns is lobbying of a form, but it's meant to be transparent, open and the same level of access to anyone, whether it's you wanting complain about something to your local mp or a business trying to talk to a minister. the curious thing is the extent to which it is possible to regulate human interaction between people

lex greensill was brought in as an advisor david cameron says he didn't have much to do with him and he was a civil servant as a political appointees and from his memory he only thinks he met mr greensill on a couple of occasions. so let's fast forward to the whole question of lobbying. trying to influence governments, entirely normal part of democracy for businesses, individuals, charities, trade unions,... find for businesses, individuals, charities, trade unions, . .. charities, trade unions,... and it was a job — charities, trade unions,... and it was a job he _ charities, trade unions,... and it was a job he did _ charities, trade unions,... and it was a job he did before - charities, trade unions,... and it was a job he did before he - charities, trade unions,... and it l was a job he did before he entered politics because he only came into politics because he only came into politics in 2005 or something, and he was a public affairs manning commercial television?- he was a public affairs manning commercial television? commercialtelevision? yes, which is a euphemism — comme

so far he l has refused to comment on this and we hadn't heard eitherfrom lex greensill, businessmen at the centre of this, although a source close to him had said that his scheme was being offered on the nhs in place is free and so, yes, no response yet for mr cameron. as i said, it is not that necessarily he has been accused of breaking any rules here but there are some unanswered question submit the pressure growing i think to hear from him so i think it is also undeniable that he has put some very senior missing government ministers and a very awkward position this week. —— very senior ministers in a very awkward position this week. shops, pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and gyms are among businesses making preparations to reopen with the easing of lockdown in england tomorrow. more than 400,000 nonessential shops are expected to open their doors. schools also return in scotland and wales where restrictions about travelling across the border are also lifted and shops can reopen. in northern ireland nonessential retail remains closed but can now operate click and collect servi

in particular, his work for this man, lex greensill, who'd been an unpaid adviser to david cameron �*s government. now working for his company greensill capital, mr cameron has approached ministers on its behalf. those efforts are now expected to be the subject of an independent investigation launched by the government. investigation launched by the government-— investigation launched by the covernment. , . , ., ., government. public office should not become the — government. public office should not become the platform _ government. public office should not become the platform for— government. public office should not become the platform for private - become the platform for private gain. and i don't really think the former ministers and prime ministers should be engaged in lobbying for particular commercial companies when they are lobbying their successors who they know very well and could have privileged access to them. it’s have privileged access to them. it's siml have privileged access to them. it's simply not fair. last week the chancellor rishi sunak published text mes

to supports lex greensill in lobbying. the sunday times today has details of another lobbying effort, this time with the health secretary, backed hancock. he went for a private drink with david cameron and lex greensill. some trusts have since chosen to use the 3pp trusts have since chosen to use the app that he was trying to persuades the nhs to use to pay doctors and nurses. the department of health stresses that it was up to local trusts to decide if they used this system of payment or not. mr greensill and mr cameron have not yet commented. it is part of political life that there will be companies and charities and pressure groups that will try to lobby government to. this particular case is raising questions about the transparency around all of this, about how those contacts are made. thank you for now. sir richard sutton died on wednesday and a woman in her 605 were seriously injured in an incident in a property near gillingham. thomas schreiber has been charged with murder, attempted murder and dangerous driving and

after he left office, cameron became a paid lobbyist for lex greensill. next thing we know, cameron arranged access for greensill with cabinet ministers, ministers and senior officials. and he lobbied for taxpayer money on behalf of greensill capital. we also know that the chancellor pushed officials. we know that the health secretary met cameron and greensill. we know that senior officials met greensill capital regularly, and now, even more unbelievably, we know that the government's former head of procurement, no less, became a greensill adviser while he was still a civil servant. does the prime minister accept that there is a revolving door, indeed an open door, between his conservative government and paid lobbyists? this between his conservative government and paid lobbyists?— and paid lobbyists? this is a government _ and paid lobbyists? this is a government and _ and paid lobbyists? this is a government and a _ and paid lobbyists? this is a government and a party i and paid lobbyists? this is a| government and a party that and paid lobbyists? this

by 2019, mr cameron is working for lex greensill, mr hancock is in the cabinet, and the three of them are going for a private drink. absolutely, i attended a social meeting organised by the former prime minister, and given that departmental business came up, i reported to officials in the normal way. it is cronyism and it stinks. so if he thinks he has done nothing wrong and has nothing to hide, - will he publish all the minutes, all the e—mails, all— the correspondence, - all the directions that he gave to civil servants and all his textj messages with david cameron, so we can see exactly what went on with the awarding _ of this contract? mr hancock insists he behaved properly, and added... what i would say is that it is very important that governments engage with external stakeholders, with businesses. there are far bigger questions about access to government lobbying than are likely to be addressed in this government review, its remit is narrow and it has no legal powers to change anything. labour and others say the rules need to be tightened, the system needs to be more transp

elects greensill �*s demo because stated that the project didn't succeed —— lex greensill is devastated. we're still continuing with the subject. a warning to the prime minister. i warning to the prime minister. i think that... i don't know now. there are now so many different stories coming out. i there are now so many different stories coming out.— there are now so many different stories coming out. i guess there will be some _ stories coming out. i guess there will be some sort _ stories coming out. i guess there will be some sort of— stories coming out. i guess there will be some sort of inquiry. - stories coming out. i guess there will be some sort of inquiry. i - will be some sort of inquiry. i think— will be some sort of inquiry. i think that, _ will be some sort of inquiry. i think that, in other countries, there — think that, in other countries, there is— think that, in other countries, there is lobbying, there are people involved _ there is lobbying, there are people involved in— there is lobbying, there are people involved in both sides, sometimes the government a

in the middle of this mess is the former prime minister, and the banker lex greensill, who was a government adviser when david cameron was in power. he'd impressed the country's most senior civil servant at the time, sirjeremy heywood. another top official, bill crothers, was even allowed to start working for greensill while on the public payroll. years later, david cameron started working for greensill�*s now—defunct bank. texting and contacting not just the chancellor, but two other treasury ministers. arranging drinks for greensill with the health secretary — was it all just too close for comfort? increasingly, we're seeing a murkier and murkier picture. whether it's, you know, the way contracts are handed out, the lack of due process, or the lobbying which, you know, it's not a revolving door, it's an open door now into government. there are now several investigations into exactly what happened at greensill. whether the rules failed or individuals failed to follow them. and remember, lobbying, trying to influence the government, can be perfectly legitimate, and ministers and offic

let's begin with the financial times — it reports that lex greensill, the financier at the centre of a downing street lobbying scandal, had no contract to work for the government despite spending three years inside no ten. the metro leads with the headline �*slurry of sleeze�* — as borisjohnson fights off devastating claims of a comment made about the possibility of a third lockdown and questions over who paid for a no.10 refurbishment. the paper also headlines last night's oscars ceremony — celebrating the triumph of uk stars. the i headlines a poll conducted among voters over the weekend which shows half of those questioned think there is a " culture of sleaze�* in the government. the daily telegraph carries a picture of the prime minister on the campaign trail visiting a farm in wrexham, north wales today as the downing street leaks row intensified. according to the guardian — there's mounting pressure on the prime minister as conservative insiders added weight to claims he made the �*bodies pile up�* comment. and more on the downing street leaks row — the sun fr

almost implausibly, this picture appears to show the former prime minister and the financier lex greensill casually chatting on a lobbying trip to saudi arabia. david cameron worked for him and texted and called ministers in government now on his behalf. lobbying, the art of trying to change government's minds, is not illegal, but it is meant to be done in daylight, formal and transparent, for all to see. one of david cameron's former close colleagues suggests it is not quite as it should be. i think there is ample evidence from what has happened that there is a gap between the current law about what people can do by way of lobbying once they have left office, and the public perception of what is appropriate. but borisjohnson�*s top official is alarmed, too, after it emerged that a civil servant was able to work for greensill and the government in 2015. simon case, whitehall boss now, wrote to his colleagues this afternoon. he said, "serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern," and called for transparency and full and proper management of any outside interests. all depa

he sold invoices due for future payment to a company run by this australian banker, lex greensill, who would buy them at a discount for ready cash and sell them on to investors. but in early march, greensill went bust, despite efforts from former prime minister and greensill employee david cameron, who personally lobbied the chancellor on greensill�*s behalf. behind this unremarkable door is the london home of the remarkable middleman that funnelled billions in investor cash into mr gupta's empire. now investors who got burned when greensill went bust are going directly after mr gupta's assets, surely making it harder for him to find the new money he needs to keep liberty steel afloat. the prime minister today insisted the uk needs strategic industries like steel. we've learned during the pandemic that it's not a good idea to be excessively reliant in times of trouble on imports for critical things. we saw that with ppe, for instance. so we're going to need a strong steel industry. i'm very hopeful that we'll get a solution. the finances are complicated, but simple industrial and pol

in particular, his work for this man, lex greensill, who'd been an unpaid adviser to david cameron's government. now, working for his company, greensill capital, mr cameron has approached ministers on its behalf. downing street has now commissioned an independent review into greensill�*s role, aimed at ensuring transparency. public office should not become the platform for private gain, and i don't really think former ministers and former prime ministers should be engaged in lobbying for particular commercial companies when they're lobbying their successors whom they know very well and could have privileged access to them. it's simply not fair. last week, the chancellor rishi sunak published text messages he'd sent in reply to david cameron after the former prime minister messaged him about access to government—backed emergency loans. it's also emerged the health secretary, matt hancock, met mr cameron and lex greensill for a private drink to discuss a new payments system for the nhs. in a statement last night, david cameron said... lobbying, as it's called, talking to those in p

almost implausibly, this picture appears to show the former prime minister and the financer, lex greensill, casually chatting on a lobbying trip to saudi arabia. david cameron worked for him and texted and called ministers and government now on his behalf. lobbying, the art of trying to change government's minds, is not illegal, but it is meant to be done in daylight, formal and transparent, for all to see. one of david cameron's former colleague suggested it's not as it should be. i think there is ample evidence - from what has happened that there's a gap between the current law about what people can - do by way of lobbying, - once they have left office, and the public perception of what is appropriate. i the former cabinet minister told me what is shocking about david cameron is that what he was doing is considered normal, sometimes, around here. government after government has tried to grapple with the awkward fact that contacts can be used as currency but the relationship between money and politics can be toxic. the former cabinet minister told me what is shocking about david cameron i

in 2011 the company's boss, lex greensill, became an unpaid advisor to david cameron. in 2018 his firm was given work linked to nhs payments and hired the then former prime minister. the next year david cameron arranged a private drink with matt hancock and lex greensill and last year he texted the chancellor rishi sunak, seeking access for greensill to a coronavirus support scheme. here's what borisjohnson had to say about the matter earlier. top civil servants should be able to engage with business and should have experience of the private sector. when i look at the accounts i'm reading to date, not clear that those boundaries had been properly understood. and i've asked for a proper independent review of the arrangements that we have to be conducted by nigel, and he will be reporting injune. and if he has any representations he wishes to make on that subject, he should do so. but labour says that doesn't go far enough, and wants a committee of mps and peers to carry out a thorough review into lobbying. party leader sir keir starmer said he feared anything else might

greensill and his company were given such huge access to the heart of government. labour had asked for mr sunak to appear before mps to respond to an urgent question on the issue, but business minister paul scully was sent to reply for the government. a few moments ago in the commons, the shadow chancellor accused rishi sunak of "running scared." hundreds of millions of pounds of public money were put at risk by giving green sell access to this scheme. with the collapse of green silk, thousands ofjobs right across the country have been put at risk. those workers, and taxpayers across the country, deserve answers. the chancellor said he would level with the public. why is he running scared of levelling with them on the green sale scandal?— of levelling with them on the green sale scandal? green sale capital uk were approved _ sale scandal? green sale capital uk were approved for— sale scandal? green sale capital uk were approved for the _ sale scandal? green sale capital uk were approved for the coronavirus i were approved for the coronavirus loan scheme last ye

the way david cameron used his contacts with ministers on behalf of the businessmen who employed him, lex greensill, sparked a row about lobbying that has dominated westminster for dave �*s stop yesterday conservative mps voted against setting up a special parliamentary investigation. the nose habit, the nose habit. but an existing committee of mps will look into at least some of it. greensill capital has since collapsed, the treasury select committee will look into the lessons that can be learned from that until the treasury itself responded to lobbying on the firm �*s behalf. it sought other committees might do the same and one of them is likely to ask david cameron to give evidence. his spokesman said he would respond positively to any such requests when the terms of reference were clear. the controversy is likely to come up again today in parliament. lord pickles, who chairs the body which abets jobs ministers and senior officials can take when they leave government is due to appear before mps. it's been planned for a while but earlier this week expressed concerns when it emerged

in the middle of this mess is the former prime minister, and the banker lex greensill, who was a government adviser when david cameron was in power. he'd impressed the country's most senior civil servant at the time, sirjeremy heywood. another top official, bill crothers, was even allowed to start working for greensill while on the public payroll. years later, david cameron started working for greensill�*s now—defunct bank. texting and contacting not just the chancellor, but two other treasury ministers. arranging drinks for greensill with the health secretary — was it all just too close for comfort? increasingly, we're seeing a murkier and murkier picture. whether it's, you know, the way contracts are handed out, the lack of due process, or the lobbying which, you know, it's not a revolving door, it's an open door now into government. there are now several investigations into exactly what happened at greensill. whether the rules failed or individuals failed to follow them. and remember, lobbying, trying to influence the government, can be perfectly legitimate, and ministers and offic

the chancellor is pushing the treasury to help lex greensill. the health secretary is meeting greensill for drinks. and david cameron's texting anybody that'll reply. every day, every day, there are new allegations about this conservative government — dodgy ppe deals, tax breaks for their mates. the health secretary owns shares in a company delivering nhs services. sleaze, sleaze, sleaze. and it's all on his watch. with this scandal now firmly centred on him, how on earth does he expect people to believe that he is the person to clean this mess up? i'll tell you why, i'll tell you why this government is doing the right thing at the right time, because the difference between us and the labour party is, i'm afraid, staringly obvious. and we get on with taking the tough decisions to protect the people of this country and to take our country forward, uniting and levelling up. we take the tough decisions to procure thousands, tens of thousands of ventilators in record time, which apparently he now opposes. the snp also challenged the prime minister

almost implausibly, this picture appears to show the former prime minister and the financer, lex greensill, casually chatting on a lobbying trip to saudi arabia. lobbying, the art of trying to change a government's nine, is legal, but is meant to be formal and transparent. one of david cameron's former colleague suggested it's not as it should be. i think there is ample evidence from what has happened that there's a gap between the current law about what people can do by way of lobbying, once they have left office, and the public perception of what's appropriate. borisjohnson�*s top official is alarmed too. it emerged that a official was able to work for greensill captial and the government after 2015. he wrote to his colleagues this afternoon, and said serious issues have come to light which are of acute concern and called for transparency and full and proper management of any outside interest. all departments have until the end of the week to flag sensors of senior civil servants holding remunerated positions or other interests outside government which might conflict with their obligat

he sold invoices due for future payment to a company run by this australian banker, lex greensill, who would buy them at a discount for ready cash and sell them on to investors. but in early march, greensill went bust. despite efforts from former prime minister and greensill employee david cameron, who personally lobbied the chancellor on greensill�*s behalf. behind this unremarkable door is the london home of the remarkable middleman that funneled billions of investor cash into mr gupta's empire. now investors who got burned when greensill went bust are going directly after mr gupta as assets surely making it harder for him to find the new money he needs to keep liberty steel afloat. the prime minister today insisted the uk needs strategic industries like steel. we've learned through the pandemic that it's not a good idea to be excessively reliant in times of trouble on imports of critical things. we saw that with ppe, for instance. we need a strong steel industry. i'm very hopeful that will get a solution. the finances are complicated, but simple industrial and political logic mean

mr cameron's relationship with lex greensill goes back to 2012. according to this business card passed to the bbc, the australian banker worked for him as a senior unpaid adviser in downing street. 12 months ago, at the height of the covid lockdown, mr cameron tried to persuade the treasury to increase greensill capital's access to government backed loans. sources say he sent multiple text messages to the chancellor rishi sunak�*s private phone. these haven't been released, but today, two replies have. on april the third last year mr sunak thanked mr cameron for his message but said he was stuck back to back on calls and would try him later. the two did then speak on the phone. the reply on april the 23rd rejects mr cameron's proposal and goes on to say, i have pushed the team to explore an alternative with the bank that might work. no guarantees, but the bank are currently looking at it and charles should be in touch. best, rishi. charles roxburgh was a senior official at the treasury. david cameron hasn't commented on any of this since questio

almost - implausibly this picture appears to show the former prime minister and the financer, lex greensill casually chatting on a lobbying trip to saudi arabia. david cameron worked for him and texted and called ministers and government now on his behalf. lobbying, the art of trying to change government mines, is not illegal, but it is meant to be done in daylight, formal and transparent, for all to see. one of david cameron's former colleague suggested it is not as it should be. i cameron's former colleague suggested it is not as it should be.— it is not as it should be. i think there was _ it is not as it should be. i think there was ample _ it is not as it should be. i think there was ample evidence - it is not as it should be. i think| there was ample evidence what it is not as it should be. i think - there was ample evidence what -- there was ample evidence what —— from what has happened that there is a gap between the current law about what people can do by way of lobbying, once they have left office, and the public perception of what is appropriate. de office, and the public p

in the middle of this mess is the former prime minister, and the banker lex greensill, who was a government adviser when david cameron was in power. he'd impressed the country's most senior civil servant at the time, sirjeremy heywood. another top official, bill crothers, was even allowed to start working for greensill while on the public payroll. years later, david cameron started working for greensill�*s now—defunct bank. texting and contacting notjust the chancellor, but two other treasury ministers. and arranged drinks with the health secretary and other officials. was it all just too close for comfort? increasingly, we are seeing... a murkierand murkier picture. whether it's, you know, the way contracts are handed out, the lack of due process, or the lobbying which, you know, it's not a revolving door, it's an open door now into government. there are now several investigations into exactly what happened at greensill. whether the rules failed or individuals failed to follow them. and remember, lobbying, trying to influence the government, can be perfectly legitimate, and ministers a

contacts involving david cameron in his attempts to lobby the government on behalf of the financier lex greensill and the now—collapsed company greensill capital. 40 pages of exchanges, relating to a period early in the pandemic, last year, were released last night, in response to a freedom of information request. iain watson is at westminster. what do these documents tell us? david cameron has not broken lobbying rules, but the documents show the extent to which he was deploying his knowledge over how government works to lobby on behalf of greensill. in one document, the most senior civil servant at the treasury says he has had some incoming from his old boss, none other than david cameron, who is not getting very far from the treasury, he goes to the bank of england and ask for help. labour say, why is it the former coach mike i was spending so much time with senior officials at the pandemic west at the treasury says, the fact david cameron's efforts to lobby were ultimately unsuccessful proves that nothing improper was taking place. $1150 improper was taking place. also suggestions

what about lex greensill, the businessman at the heart of it? will he be summoned to give evidence? at the big question is whether that leads to any change in the rules. in terms of number ten's thinking, they have commissioned their own inquiry led by a lawyer and it will report by the end of june and i think they are waiting to see what that says before then deciding what to do about the system, but you can bet your bottom dollar that eric pickles, the chair of the advisory committee on business appointments, will make some pretty strong suggestions because he feels he could have a lot more power to scrutinise how people take up jobs more power to scrutinise how people take upjobs in the private more power to scrutinise how people take up jobs in the private sector after they have been paid by the public purse. after they have been paid by the public purse-— after they have been paid by the ublic urse. �* ., . ~' ,, , public purse. adam, thank you very much. iain anderson is executive chair of cicero amo, one of the country's biggest consultant lobbying companies. very good to

greensill. we don't have much time, i'm stressing that now. this greensill. we don't have much time, i'm stressing that now.— i'm stressing that now. this is 'ust more bad things i i'm stressing that now. this is 'ust more bad things being i i'm stressing that now. this is 'ust more bad things being heapedh i'm stressing that now. this isjust more bad things being heaped on| more bad things being heaped on david _ more bad things being heaped on david cameron's revealing the extent of his— david cameron's revealing the extent of his frenzied lobbying of high officials — of his frenzied lobbying of high officials in the treasury and the bank— officials in the treasury and the bank of— officials in the treasury and the bank of england on behalf of greensill capital, that now collapsed company and it recalls to me that _ collapsed company and it recalls to me that keir starmer is not known for his— me that keir starmer is not known for hisjokes, but he made quite a good _ for hisjokes,

greensill, benefit from his efforts? the government is holding a review of schemes company was involved in, headed by a former lawyer. i involved in, headed by a former la er. ., ~' involved in, headed by a former la er. ., ~ ., , ., lawyer. i would like it to be done auickl lawyer. i would like it to be done quickly but _ lawyer. i would like it to be done quickly but with _ lawyer. i would like it to be done quickly but with the _ lawyer. i would like it to be done quickly but with the maximum i quickly but with the maximum possible access so we cannot understand exactly what has happened, and it will be presented, of course, to parliament in due course. ., ., , ., of course, to parliament in due course. ., ., ., ., course. there were already a lot of auestions course. there were already a lot of questions in _ course. there were already a lot of questions in parliament, _ course. there were already a lot of questions in parliament, for- course. there were already a lot of questions in parliament, for the i questions i

greensill, who advised mr cameron's government, and then went on to hire the former prime minister. 0ur political correspondent helen catt explained that while it's reported that no rules were broken, the incident is raising questions about the transparecy of the lobbying process. 0ver recent weeks there have been various details have emerged about how david cameron has used his influence and his contacts on behalf of his employer. in recent weeks it emerged that he had texted the chancellor rishi sunak for example on his personal mobile phone. rishi sunak took the unusual step of publishing his responses to mr cameron. this was about getting access to government backed loans for the company during the pandemic. that request was actually refused in the end and the company has since collapsed. but today the sunday times has details of another lobbying effort involving another cabinet minister, this time the health secretary matt hancock. it turns out that mr cameron took mr hancock and the company boss for a private drink at a time when he was trying to get the nhs to use an app to p

this comes amid the ongoing row at westminster over the influence of the financier lex greensill. our deputy political editor vicki young is at westminster. vicki, just remind us of the background to this story and then tell us what we find out today if. david cameron committee former prime minister, to spend lots of stories in the papers about this, the financial times and the sunday times in particularfinding out that financial times and the sunday times in particular finding out that david cameron had contacted the chancellor rishi sunak on behalf of the company who david cameron was working for. we knew that there had been some texts sent from the former prime minister and he has been accused of intervening where he should not have been but he's been cleared of any wrongdoing, he was working for the company and that was transparent. the chancellor has been dragged into this because he was the recipient of those text messages. what he has done tonight unusually is to publish his responses to david cameron. he obviously wants to clear his name to make it plain that he has done n

greensill, who advised mr cameron's government and then went on to hire the former prime minister. let's speak to our political correspondent helen catt, who's with me now. all of this is raising a lot of questions about the whole lobbying system in the uk.— system in the uk. yes, it is. over recent weeks _ system in the uk. yes, it is. over recent weeks there _ system in the uk. yes, it is. over recent weeks there have - system in the uk. yes, it is. over recent weeks there have been - system in the uk. yes, it is. over- recent weeks there have been various details are emerging about how david cameron has used his influence and contacts on behalf of his employer, greensill capital. in recent weeks it emerged he had texted the chancellor on his personal mobile phone. rishi sunak took the unusual step of publishing his responses to mr cameron. this was a getting access to government backed loan for greensill capital during the pandemic. that request was refused in the end and greensill capital has since collapsed. today, the sunday times has details of another lobbying effort, thi