Politics

Whitehall’s spending watchdog has launched an investigation into Greensill Capital’s involvement in government-backed COVID support schemes prior to the firm’s collapse. The National Audit Office (NAO) on Friday announced the latest Westminster inquiry into Greensill, which is at the centre of a lobbying row involving former prime minister David Cameron. In June last year, the

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is being accused of “cronyism at the heart of government” by Labour after it was revealed he has been given shares in a family firm that has done business with the NHS. Mr Hancock has declared in the Commons register of MPs’ interests that he now owns shares in Topwood Ltd,

The chair of the watchdog which exposed how the former government chief commercial officer was able to take a job at Greensill Capital while still working in Whitehall has said he’s “not really come across anything like it before”. Lord Pickles’ Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) revealed how Bill Crothers worked as a part-time

Senior civil servants have been told they have until the end of the week to declare any other jobs they hold outside government. Cabinet Secretary Simon Case said there was “acute concern” at the top of the civil service about issues that have emerged in the David Cameron lobbying affair. On Tuesday, it was revealed

A committee of MPs is to launch an inquiry into the lessons learned from the Cameron-Greensill lobbying row. The Treasury Committee will next week begin looking at how appropriate the Treasury’s response was to lobbying by former prime minister David Cameron on behalf of Greensill Capital. Mr Cameron, who was employed by the finance firm’s

Labour has accused the Conservatives of a return to the “sleaze of the 1990s” ahead of a push for a fuller inquiry into the David Cameron lobbying controversy. Opposition MPs will today force a vote in the House of Commons in their bid to establish a new parliamentary committee to investigate allegations about Greensill Capital

A senior civil servant worked for Greensill Capital – the financial firm at the centre of the David Cameron lobbying row – while still employed in Whitehall, it has been revealed. Questions have now been asked about why Bill Crothers did not consult a Whitehall watchdog before joining Greensill as a director. He began working

Rishi Sunak has been asked to appear before parliament tomorrow to explain why he granted Greensill Capital access to a COVID loan scheme after David Cameron lobbied him. Labour’s shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds was granted an urgent question about the row hours after Boris Johnson ordered an independent review into the now-collapsed finance firm’s activities

Former cabinet minister and Liberal Democrat peer Shirley Williams – one of the “Gang of Four” who defected from Labour in the early 1980s – has died aged 90. Baroness Williams of Crosby – whose long parliamentary career began when she was elected an MP in 1964 – was said to have “died peacefully” in

Former prime minister David Cameron has accepted he should have acted differently over his role in the Greensill lobbying controversy. In his first statement in weeks over the scandal, Mr Cameron insisted he broke “no codes of conduct and no government rules”, but having “reflected on this at length” accepted there were “lessons to be

David Cameron has been in the headlines recently over his alleged involvement in a lobbying scandal with a firm he advises and the Treasury. Sky News has broken down what is going on, who the key players are, and why the former prime minister is under fire. What did David Cameron do? Mr Cameron approached

Election campaigning is to resume this week after being paused as a mark of respect following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer both agreed to the suspension after holding discussions in the wake of Friday’s announcement that Prince Philip had died. The Conservatives and

Boris Johnson has said he will not go to Prince Philip’s funeral, and instead will give up his seat to allow another family member to attend. It comes after Buckingham Palace revealed that only 30 people would be attending the duke’s funeral, in an effort to follow COVID-compliant protocols. A statement from a Downing Street

Boris Johnson has praised Prince Philip’s lifelong “ethic of service” as he led political tributes to the Duke of Edinburgh. After Buckingham Palace confirmed the death of the 99-year-old on Friday, politicians across the UK chose to suspend their campaigning ahead of next month’s local elections. Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, the prime minister said

Grant Shapps has insisted the government is trying to make foreign travel as affordable as possible amid criticism that a testing requirement will drive up holiday costs. The transport secretary also told Sky News that people could now think about booking a break abroad in a change from previous advice as the government unveiled plans

A traffic light system that will categorise countries based on their COVID-19 risk levels is part of potential plans to safely restart foreign holidays. This approach has been recommended by the government’s Global Travel Taskforce, which suggests international travel could resume from 17 May at the earliest in an “accessible and affordable way”. It may