The enforced resignation of Owen Paterson in November certainly had its consequences. Boris Johnson’s efforts to help the North Shropshire MP triggered a sleaze scandal, a Labour lead that the party is still yet to relinquish and the loss of a constituency which had been Tory for more than a century. But, two months on, how hard are the winds of change blowing through the corridors of Whitehall?
Paterson’s departure was triggered by declarations surrounding paid work consulting for Randox Chemicals. In the aftermath, a number of Tory backbenchers quit their second jobs, but not all those in this world appear to be following suit. For the release last week of updated transparency records show paid consultants are still working at the heart of government.
Take, for instance, the Foreign Office where at least two of the seven members of the department’s Supervisory Board work for lobbying firms. John Coffey is a shareholder in his own McIntire Coffey Consultancy Ltd while Baroness Morrissey is a paid consultant on the board of Edelman Communications.
Other less-scrutinised aspects of government where there’s an obvious risk of conflicts of interest include the House of Lords. Viscount Trenchard manages to be both ‘Senior Adviser to Her Majesty’s Government on Japanese Financial Services’ while also taking at least £30,000-a-year from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation to work as its consultant.
Duncan Hames, Director of Policy at Transparency International UK, warned:
With the dust barely settled on the latest lobbying scandal, it’s concerning to see some of those holding senior roles in Whitehall also working in firms of lobbyists. The government still needs to address potential conflicts of interest, not simply declare them.
Given Boris Johnson’s newfound interest in codes of conduct post-partygate, will a clampdown be on the cards?
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