David Cameron told us that lobbying would be the next big scandal, but he didn’t think he’d be in the centre of it.
It started when Lex Greensill, business owner of Greensill Capital became Cameron’s unpaid adviser whilst he was still Prime Minister. Greensill helped to push a bill through the House of Commons that meant small businesses could get their bills paid faster, benefitting Greensill Capital. The scandal comes in when after leaving office, Cameron went on to work for the company, and unsuccessfully attempted to lobby the government into giving the business more access to government-backed loans. This in itself, was allowed. Government Ministers are allowed to lobby the government 2 years after leaving office, and as Cameron had stepped down in 2016 and joined Greensill in 2018, this was not breaking any rules.
However, this involved Cameron messaging current Chancellor Rishi Sunak, creating more controversy. The lobbying attempt has caused fury with the public, as the connection between the government and big business has been under more scrutiny during COVID, with large companies being priorities and small businesses overlooked.
On Wednesday, the Conservative majority in the House of Commons voted against a Parliamentary inquiry into lobbying.
Written by Jess Urquhart
Artwork by Mrishana
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