Ban ministers from lobbying for five years and improve transparency, says standards chief

Ministers should be banned from lobbying after leaving office for at least five years, Lord Evans, the chair of the committee on standards in public life, is expected to say in a new proposal.

According to The Sunday Times, the committee chair is set to propose the tougher measures, including fines for ministers if they break the rules, in an emergency review conducted following the Greensill scandal.

The review was launched by the former MI5 head following “sustained public scrutiny” around the rules governing politicians after they leave office, particularly in the midst of the lobbying scandal, which centres around David Cameron’s work for failed Australian finance firm Greensill Capital.

Mr Cameron has insisted that he broke no rules in the scandal after facing widespread scrutiny over his efforts to secure access to a government-backed coronavirus loan scheme for Greensill.

However, he has admitted that he should have contacted officials through formal channels after it was revealed that he lobbied senior ministers, including the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, in private emails, WhatsApp messages and texts.

According to The Times, Evans’ review will “single out” Mr Cameron, who he served as MI5 chief under for three years, and demand that ministers “disclose informal lobbying over WhatsApp and text messages”.

The report is also expected to deem current rules in place “inadequate” and demand an “overhaul of the rules in an attempt to stop former ministers using their contacts and expertise for private gain”.

The Sunday Times has said Lord Evans is expected tell BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour on Monday: “I do think there needs to be greater transparency about lobbying. There’s nothing wrong with lobbying in principle, but there needs to be a level playing field and it needs to be done visibly.”

The committee on standards in public life was launched decades ago in 1994 following the “cash-for-questions” scandal.

Since then, its recommendations have laid the groundwork for significant anti-corruption reforms.