Dyson texting row: Boris Johnson refused to change phone number despite lobbying fears - The Times

Business leaders having “direct access” to ministers is good for democracy, the business secretary has said.

Defending Boris Johnson over the revelations that he texted Sir James Dyson, the entrepreneur and Tory donor, offering to “fix” a problem over the tax status of his employees, Kwasi Kwarteng said that “people are trying to lobby ministers, lobby MPs all the time”.

He told Sky News: “Business people are contacting MPs all the time, constituents also contact me on my phone. I think that in a modern democracy it’s very good that people actually can have direct access to ministers and people who are taking responsibility”.

Kwarteng insisted that Johnson’s interactions with Dyson were motivated by trying to secure ventilators for the UK during a critical

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2021-04-21 20:00:00Z
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