David Cameron: I was paid far more at Greensill than as PM - BBC News

David Cameron has said he was paid "far more" as a part-time adviser to now-collapsed Greensill Capital than when he was prime minister.

He told MPs he had had a "big economic investment" in the finance company, including shares.

But he insisted he was not motivated by money when he lobbied ministers on behalf of the firm - and he believed he had acted in the national interest.

Mr Cameron was paid £150,402 a year when he quit as prime minister in 2016.

Speaking via video link to the Treasury Select Committee, he repeatedly declined to reveal his exact salary at Greensill, which he joined two years after leaving Downing Street, calling it a "private matter".

The panel of MPs is among three parliamentary committees that have launched inquiries into the company, following its collapse in March.

• Follow live: Cameron grilled by MPs
• What's the David Cameron lobbying row about?
• What is lobbying? A brief guide

Mr Cameron told the Treasury Committee he had not broken any rules when he tried to influence ministers and officials on behalf of Greensill Capital around the start of the Covid pandemic in spring last year.

He said it had been "appropriate" for him to call and text ministers and officials directly, as financial schemes were being designed quickly at a "time of extraordinary crisis".

But he conceded that in future "prime ministers should only ever use letter or email, and should restrict themselves far more".

And he backed a tightening up of the rules for ministers and officials who take jobs in industry.

'Great regret'

Mr Cameron has previously said he began working as a "part-time senior adviser" to Greensill Capital in August 2018.

"I was paid an annual amount, a generous annual amount, far more than what I earned as prime minister, and I had shares - not share options but shares in the business - which vested over the period of time of my contract," he told the committee.

He described reports he had been set to make £60m from Greensill before its collapse as "completely absurd".

Mr Cameron also said the demise of Greensill Capital was a "great regret" to him, and there were "important lessons to be learned" from it.

He added that he had conducted "quite a lot of due diligence" before taking up the advisory role, including asking questions about "every aspect of the business".

What is lobbying?

• It's another word for trying to persuade the government to change its policies
• It can be done by individuals, companies, organisations and charities who contact ministers, backbench MPs and other politicians
• Some organisations and companies employ professional lobbyists to make their case for them
• Former MPs and civil servants often work as lobbyists

"I had a big economic investment in the future of Greensill, so I wanted the business to succeed," Mr Cameron told MPs. "I wanted it to grow."

He said his economic interest in the firm had been "important" but was not relevant to the MPs' inquiry into its collapse and its contacts with government.

And he said he had felt the firm's proposals would help small businesses access cash during an economic crisis, and were "absolutely in the public interest".

In a separate hearing, with the the Public Accounts Committee, Mr Cameron said he had only learned that Greensill Capital was in financial difficulty towards the end of last year.

He added that the past few months, during which his work for the company has come in for widespread criticism, had been "very difficult", but said he felt more sorry for the hundreds of staff who had lost their jobs.

The former prime minister repeatedly texted ministers and officials, including Chancellor Rishi Sunak, asking for the firm to be included in a Covid-related government loan scheme.

But his attempts to involve Greensill in the Covid Corporate Financing Facility were ultimately unsuccessful after they were rebuffed by the Treasury.

• A ROMANCE BEGINS IN LOCKDOWN: Stephen Fry narrates U.ME, a new musical!
• FIVE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE FA CUP MOMENTS: How many do you know?

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXBvbGl0aWNzLTU3MTA0MjM00gEzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstcG9saXRpY3MtNTcxMDQyMzQuYW1w?oc=5

2021-05-13 18:37:42Z
52781585115263

David Cameron: I was paid far more at Greensill than as PM - BBC News

David Cameron has said he was paid "far more" as a part-time adviser to now-collapsed Greensill Capital than when he was prime minister.

He told MPs he had a "big economic investment" in the finance company, including shares.

But he insisted he was not motivated by money when he lobbied ministers on behalf of the firm - and he believed he was acting in the national interest.

Mr Cameron was paid £150,402 a year when he quit as PM in 2016.

The former prime minister is giving evidence via video link to a Public Accounts Committee inquiry launched after Greensill's collapse in March.

Speaking earlier to MPs on the Treasury Select Committee, he repeatedly declined to reveal his exact pay at the firm, calling it a "private matter".

• Follow live: Cameron grilled by MPs
• What's the David Cameron lobbying row about?
• What is lobbying? A brief guide

He told the committee he had not broken any rules when he tried to influence ministers and officials on behalf of Greensill Capital last spring.

He said it had been "appropriate" for him to call and text ministers and officials directly, as schemes were being designed quickly at a "time of extraordinary crisis".

But he conceded that in future "prime ministers should only ever use letter or email, and should restrict themselves far more".

And he backed a tightening up on the rules on ministers and officials who take jobs in industry.

'Great regret'

Mr Cameron has said he began working as a "part-time senior adviser" to Greensill Capital in August 2018, just over two years after he left Downing Street aged 49.

"I was paid an annual amount, a generous annual amount, far more than what I earned as prime minister, and I had shares - not share options but shares in the business - which vested over the period of time of my contract," he told the committee.

He described reports he was set to make £60m from Greensill as "completely absurd".

He said the demise Greensill Capital was a "great regret" to him, and there were "important lessons to be learned" from its collapse.

He added he had conducted "quite a lot of due diligence" before taking up the role, including asking questions about "every aspect of the business".

What is lobbying?

• It's another word for trying to persuade the government to change its policies
• It can be done by individuals, companies, organisations and charities who contact ministers, backbench MPs and other politicians
• Some organisations and companies employ professional lobbyists to make their case for them
• Former MPs and civil servants often work as lobbyists

"I had a big economic investment in the future of Greensill, so I wanted the business to succeed, I wanted it to grow," he told MPs.

He said his economic interest in the firm was "important" but was not relevant to the MPs' inquiry into the firm's collapse and its contacts with government.

And he said he felt the firm's proposals would help small businesses access cash during an economic crisis, and were "absolutely in the public interest".

The former PM had repeatedly texted ministers and officials, including Chancellor Rishi Sunak, asking for the firm to be included in a Covid-related government loan scheme.

But his attempts to involve Greensill in the Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) were ultimately unsuccessful after they were rebuffed by the Treasury.

• A ROMANCE BEGINS IN LOCKDOWN: Stephen Fry narrates U.ME, a new musical!
• FIVE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE FA CUP MOMENTS: How many do you know?

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXBvbGl0aWNzLTU3MTA0MjM00gEzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstcG9saXRpY3MtNTcxMDQyMzQuYW1w?oc=5

2021-05-13 17:16:06Z
52781585115263

Greensill hearing latest: David Cameron grilled by MPs over failed lender - Financial Times

The Treasury committee is made up of 11 MPs: six Conservative, four Labour and one SNP.

It is chaired by Mel Stride, former Treasury minister and MP for Central Devon. Stride, elected in 2010, held junior Treasury roles between 2015 and 2019 before a brief spell as leader of the House of Commons under Theresa May.

The other members are:

Angela Eagle, Labour MP for Wallasey. Eagle served in Ed Miliband’s shadow cabinet and was shadow business secretary under Jeremy Corbyn before resigning and taking on Corbyn for the leadership — although she then stepped aside for Owen Smith’s challenge.

Rushanara Ali, Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow. Ali entered parliament in 2010 and became shadow minister for international development and then shadow education minister. But she quit in protest at Labour’s support for a motion allowing military action against Isis in Iraq.

Steve Baker, Conservative MP for Wycombe. Baker made his name as one of the most vehement supporters of Brexit in the House of Commons, and is known for his libertarian world view and love of skydiving.

Harriett Baldwin, Conservative MP for West Worcestershire. Baldwin, first elected in 2010, has held various ministerial roles including economic secretary to the Treasury, minister for defence procurement and minister of state for Africa. She previously worked for JPMorgan Chase, the investment bank.

Anthony Browne, Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire. Browne, who entered parliament in 2019, was previously a journalist at The Times, BBC and Observer. He advised Boris Johnson when he was London mayor and went on to become chief executive of the British Bankers’ Association.

Felicity Buchan, Conservative MP for Kensington. Before getting elected in 2019, she was an investment banker for JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.

Emma Hardy, Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle. A former teacher who became a full-time organiser for the National Union of Teachers, Hardy was elected in 2017. She was briefly a shadow minister for further education last year.

Julie Marson, Conservative MP for Hertford and Stortford. Marson worked in corporate banking for NatWest before her election in 2019 with a huge majority.

Siobhain McDonagh, Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden. McDonagh is a prominent Blairite MP who entered parliament in 1997. She quit as a whip in 2008 as part of an attempt to trigger a leadership contest against then prime minister Gordon Brown.

Alison Thewliss, SNP MP for Glasgow Central. Thewliss is a former Glasgow councillor who was first elected in 2015.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiP2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZ0LmNvbS9jb250ZW50L2Q1NzE5M2RjLWM0ZGQtNDJjZS1hMmFjLWY5ZWVkOGQyMWMyMdIBAA?oc=5

2021-05-13 14:17:43Z
52781585115263

COVID-19: Boris Johnson 'anxious' about Indian variant and 'ruling nothing out' to tackle its spread - Sky News

The UK is "anxious" about the Indian COVID variant and the government is "ruling nothing out" when it comes to tackling its spread, the prime minister has said.

Boris Johnson said the COVID-19 variant "has been spreading" and the UK wants to "grip it".

Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world

"We want to make sure that we take all the prudential, all the cautious steps now that we could take," he said.

"So there are meetings going on today to consider exactly what we need to do."

Advertisement

Asked if the government was considering surge vaccinations alongside surge testing in areas with spikes of new variants, Downing Street said officials would not "rule anything out".

The PM's spokesman also said there were "no plans" to reintroduce the tiered system of virus restrictions used in England towards the end of last year.

More on Covid-19

New figures from Public Health England are expected to show a big rises in cases of the variant, with the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) holding a meeting on Thursday to discuss its spread.

Three types of the variant have been identified in the UK, one of which has been designated as a variant of concern.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Government not ruling out restrictions past 21 June

The European Medicines Agency has said it is "pretty confident" that current vaccines will be effective against the variant, an opinion that has been echoed by some British scientists.

Despite concerns about the Indian variant, the PM said he "can see nothing that dissuades me from thinking we'll be able to go ahead on Monday and indeed on 21 June everywhere" in terms of easing coronavirus restrictions in England.

Next Monday will see step three of the country's roadmap out of lockdown come into effect.

Pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen indoors and people will be allowed to mix indoors as two households or under the rule of six.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Will new measures mean cases will rise again?

People will also have the choice whether to socially distance with close family and friends they meet up with.

On 21 June, step four, the government wants to end "all limits on social contact".

The future of things like social distancing and mask-wearing is less clear, although Mr Johnson did say more announcements would be made before the end of the month.

"I think we have to wait a little bit longer to see how the data is looking but I am cautiously optimistic about that and provided this Indian variant doesn't take off in the way some people fear, I think certainly things could get back much, much closer to normality," he said.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMigwFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9jb3ZpZC0xOS1ib3Jpcy1qb2huc29uLWFueGlvdXMtYWJvdXQtaW5kaWFuLXZhcmlhbnQtYW5kLXJ1bGluZy1ub3RoaW5nLW91dC10by10YWNrbGUtaXRzLXNwcmVhZC0xMjMwNTI2MtIBhwFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9hbXAvY292aWQtMTktYm9yaXMtam9obnNvbi1hbnhpb3VzLWFib3V0LWluZGlhbi12YXJpYW50LWFuZC1ydWxpbmctbm90aGluZy1vdXQtdG8tdGFja2xlLWl0cy1zcHJlYWQtMTIzMDUyNjI?oc=5

2021-05-13 12:06:02Z
52781589769520

Boris Johnson's lawyers confident of cancelling court judgement - BBC News

Reuters

Boris Johnson's lawyers are "confident" of winning their application to cancel a county-court judgement against the prime minister, Downing Street says.

The court order was registered against Mr Johnson over an unpaid debt of £535, official records show.

No details of the creditor or nature of the debt were included in the online record of the CCJ, which appeared to have taken No 10 by surprise.

But it has now emerged the case relates to defamation allegations.

The official records show an "unsatisfied record" for the unpaid debt was registered to Mr Johnson at "10 Downing Street", with the judgement dated 26 October last year.

'Without merit'

An additional file shows the claim, for "defamation" and "committed repeated defamation", was made by an Yvonne Hobbs against "The Rt Hon Boris Johnson".

Downing Street says the allegations are "totally without merit".

It is not clear how the case led to a CCJ being issued, as defamation cases are normally heard in the High Court.

But the CCJ was issued by the online civil-claims court, which used to be known as the small claims court.

CCJs are issued in England and Wales when people fail to repay money they owe.

"If you get a judgement, this means that the court has formally decided that you owe the money," according to a government website.

It is likely letters about the alleged debt were sent to 10 Downing Street and not answered, and therefore no defence offered, which would eventually have led to a CCJ being issued by default.

"An application will be made for an order to set aside the default judgement, to strike out the claim and for a declaration that the claim is totally without merit," Downing Street said in a statement.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiL2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jby51ay9uZXdzL3VrLXBvbGl0aWNzLTU3MDk4MDAy0gEzaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvdWstcG9saXRpY3MtNTcwOTgwMDIuYW1w?oc=5

2021-05-13 10:06:52Z
52781591984000

Ballymurphy Inquest: UK government is 'truly sorry' - BBC News

The UK government "profoundly regrets and is truly sorry" for the events surrounding Ballymurphy in 1971, the NI secretary has told Parliament.

Brandon Lewis said this also extended to the families for the "additional pain" they have had to endure and at how investigations were handled.

An inquest found 10 people, who were shot in the wake of an Army operation in Belfast, were "entirely innocent".

Mr Lewis said the PM was writing to the families.

He said there was "no doubt what happened on those awful few days in Ballymurphy fuelled further violence and escalation, particularly in the early years of the Troubles".

"This government profoundly regrets and is truly sorry for these events, at how investigations after these terrible events were handled and for the additional pain that the families have had to endure in their fight to clear the names of their loved ones, since they began their campaign almost five decades ago," Mr Lewis said.

On Wednesday, Downing Street said Boris Johnson had apologised to Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers in a phone call.

But some victims' families said the remarks should have been made in public.

On Thursday, Mr Lewis told Parliament that he wanted "to put on record the government's acknowledgement of the terrible hurt" caused to the Ballymurphy families.

PA Media

Among the Ballymurphy victims were a priest who was trying to help the wounded, a mother-of-eight and a former soldier who had lost his hand in World War Two.

Nine of the 10 victims were killed by the Army, the coroner said.

However, Mrs Justice Keegan said she could not definitively rule who shot the tenth victim, former World War Two soldier John McKerr.

Mr Lewis said the events at Ballymurphy should never have happened.

• Ballymurphy: Who were the victims?
• 'Entirely innocent': What happened at Ballymurphy?

"The families of those who were killed should never have had to experience the grief and trauma of that loss," Mr Lewis said.

"Above all, they should not have had to wait nearly five decades for the judgement this week, nor have been compelled to relive that terrible time in August 1971, again and again in their long and distressing quest for truth."

Reuters

He added that the desire for families of victims to know the truth about what happened to their loved ones was "strong and legitimate".

"Mr Speaker, this government wants to deliver a way forward in addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland, which will allow all individuals or families who want information, to seek and receive answers about what happened during the Troubles, with far less delay and distress," he said.

"We want a path forward which will also pave the way for wider societal reconciliation for all communities, allowing all the people of Northern Ireland to focus on building a shared, stable, peaceful, and prosperous future."

A number of MPs, responding to Mr Lewis, said Prime Minister Boris Johnson should have delivered the apology to Parliament.

The Downing Street statement on Wednesday said the prime minister "apologised unreservedly on behalf of the UK government for the events that took place in Ballymurphy and the huge anguish that the lengthy pursuit of truth has caused the families of those killed".

'Where is the prime minister today?'

Shadow NI Secretary Louise Haigh said the fact that families have had to wait for so long is a "profound failure of justice" and one to be learned from.

"In the aftermath of the Bloody Sunday inquiry, David Cameron came to this House and apologised in a statemenyt. He took full responsibility," Ms Haigh said.

"Where is the prime minister today and why has he not publicly apologised to the Ballymurphy families and to this House?"

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP Gregory Campbell asked the secretary of state to ensure that the Ballymurphy families, or those of IRA killings, do not "suffer the ignominy of hearing about an amnesty".

The government is to bring forward legislation in the course of the next year to deal with legacy issues related to the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Based on details of the plan leaked last week, it is proposed that all prosecutions prior to 1998 and related to the Troubles will, in future, be banned under a statute of limitations.

Amnesty is a word which dare not cross the lips of government as it sets out its latest change of approach around the legacy of the Troubles.

There has yet to be a clear, public enunciation of what is proposed.

But it is this: a statute of limitations which would ban all prosecutions related to the Troubles.

Not just future cases, but potentially, those already in train.

It would apply across the board - to army veterans and former paramilitaries - on everything which happened before the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

The plan is the outworking of the government's pledge to protect soldiers who served in Northern Ireland.

Initial talks have taken place with political parties and meetings are planned with victims' groups.

Sources have told BBC News NI that there were many questions but very few detailed answers from the Secretary of State Brandon Lewis.

The plan has been met with loud opposition.

Already, many are jumping ahead to whether the government, with the numbers at Westminster, will legislate regardless.

The legacy plan would involve some form of investigations for families of the bereaved.

But they would be investigations for the purposes of information recovery, not prosecutions.

The government believes this is the key.

Mr Lewis it is important that the state takes accountability for what happened, but that it is important that "we get to the heart of what happened".

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Ballymurphy deaths were "sheer bloody murder".

"Will the secretary of state ask the prime minister to come out of hiding, come with me, meet the Ballymurphy families and tell them to their faces why he wants to protect the killers?"

Mr Lewis said the government will be considering the report in more detail to "reflect properly".

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiNWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJiYy5jb20vbmV3cy91ay1ub3J0aGVybi1pcmVsYW5kLTU3MDk0NzQ40gE5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmJjLmNvbS9uZXdzL3VrLW5vcnRoZXJuLWlyZWxhbmQtNTcwOTQ3NDguYW1w?oc=5

2021-05-13 10:09:57Z
52781584195236

Surge in UK cases of Indian Covid variant 'could delay lockdown', fear experts - Metro.co.uk

The prime minister raised concerns over a spike in cases of the variant first detected in India (Picture: Getty)

Scientists fear a surge in cases of the highly transmissible Indian Covid variant could jeopardise plans to ease lockdown, according to reports.

Boris Johnson told Parliament today that the subtype of the ‘double mutant’ variant, called B.1617.2, is of ‘increasing concern’.

It is understood members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) have been called for an emergency meeting on Thursday to asses the threat of the increasing number of cases.

According to the i, UK cases of the variant have more than tripled in the past week and experts are concerned the spike could throw the government’s lockdown plans off course.

Two weeks ago, 202 cases of the variant were identified across the UK. Those figures doubled to 520 last week.

Public Health England (PHE) subsequently listed B.1617.2 as a ‘variant of concern’.

New figures from the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium, which tracks and identifies new variants, has since reportedly recorded 1,723 cases.

Cases are said to have tripled of the B.1617.2 variant (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

A Sage member told the paper that although the next stage of easing lockdown restrictions will go ahead on Monday, a ‘delay is possible’ to the fourth and final step planned for June 21.

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, said the new variant is ‘really taking off’.

He pointed out that in the last week, there has been a 12% increase on the previous seven-day period.

Prof Hunter said this was the largest week-on-week increase since early January and suggested the new variant could be behind it.

He told MailOnline: ‘There has been a lot of debate about when and if a further wave of infection will happen in the UK. The reports today suggest that this wave may have already begun.

‘That hospitalisations have yet to increase would be consistent with the view that the vaccine is still effective at reducing the risk of severe disease and gives hope that this new wave, if it indeed continues, will be less damaging to the NHS.’ 

Health officials in Bolton have ramped up efforts to curb the spread of the virus (Picture: Shutterstock)

Their comments come after the latest data showed that the majority of cases of the variant are concentrated in Bolton and London.

And almost half of the detected cases of the variant were related to travel, or contact with a traveller, said PHE.

Health officials in Bolton have ramped up efforts to control the spread of the virus in the town with surge testing and a strengthened vaccination campaign.

Bolton Council’s director of public health, Dr Helen Lowey, said: ‘There is no evidence these variants cause more severe illness, there is some evidence that the Indian variant spreads more easily than other Covid-19 variants so it is the one that we want to stop and contain.

‘We are working closely with our partners across the community to identify people who have the virus, to increase the numbers of our eligible residents having the vaccine and to remind us all that Covid has not gone away.’

The Indian variant was reclassified as ‘concerning’ after scientists found evidence it is at least as transmissible as the variant detected in Kent last year – which was 70% more contagious than other known strains at the time.

The Kent strain became the dominant Covid-19 variant in the UK in a matter of weeks, causing the third wave of the pandemic and leaving hospitals struggling.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vbWV0cm8uY28udWsvMjAyMS8wNS8xMi9zdXJnZS1pbi11ay1jYXNlcy1vZi1pbmRpYW4tY292aWQtdmFyaWFudC1jb3VsZC1kZWxheS1sb2NrZG93bi1mZWFyLWV4cGVydHMtMTQ1NzExMTEv0gF4aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXRyby5jby51ay8yMDIxLzA1LzEyL3N1cmdlLWluLXVrLWNhc2VzLW9mLWluZGlhbi1jb3ZpZC12YXJpYW50LWNvdWxkLWRlbGF5LWxvY2tkb3duLWZlYXItZXhwZXJ0cy0xNDU3MTExMS9hbXAv?oc=5

2021-05-12 22:37:00Z
52781580851785