Labour today highlights how then-Prime Minister ordered his own Conservative peers to vote against
Labour plans that would have stopped him lobbying for Greensill
Capital.
The collapse of Greensill has put jobs in Britain’s steel
industry at risk and left the British taxpayer exposed to its
losses.
But this could have been avoided had Conservatives
supported Labour changes to the Lobbying Act in 2014 that would
have made it more difficult for Cameron to ‘open doors’ across
Whitehall for the firm.
The amendments would have increased transparency and
scrutiny around in-house lobbying, including David Cameron’s
activities for Greensill. Instead, they were voted down by
Conservative peers.
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, , said that the revelations are “the latest example
of how Conservative cronyism has weakened our economy, costing
jobs and taxpayer money.”
Cameron has come under fire in recent weeks as the extent
of his lobbying for Greensill has become clear. He reportedly
boasted that he stood to make $60 million from its
listing.
The amendments were moved by the Labour leader of the House
of Lords at the time, on 7th January 2014, who said in her
speech on the Bill: "in Committee I asked the
Government to look at the least bureaucratic way of
extending the scope of those lobbied, but they do not seem to
have taken the opportunity to find a solution."
also moving the
amendment spoke in the debate, saying: "it does not apply to
lobbyists employed by those firms of consultant lobbyists, nor
does it apply to national or multinational companies or
organisations which seek to exert influence on the Government and
choose to do so by using in-house lobbyists.
"The public want to know who is engaged in lobbying the
Government and are not interested in whether the lobbying is
undertaken by consultants or in-house lobbyists. In short, the
decision to restrict registration to consultancies is
fundamentally flawed."
The amendment was defeated by 218 votes to 185.
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,
, said:
“It is shocking that a former Conservative Prime Minister
not only boasted about how much money he would make from
Greensill Capital, but also gave them an open door to government,
starting with profiting off our NHS and ending with steelworkers’
jobs at risk.
“Voting down the very measures that could have stopped
Cameron’s poor and hypocritical conduct in the first place is
disgraceful. It’s the latest example of how Conservative cronyism
has weakened our economy, costing jobs and taxpayer
money.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
