andyandy
21st March 2010, 01:46 PM
Big news in the UK....
Stephen Byers, the former transport secretary, today insisted he had complied with the MPs' code of conduct after a group of Labour MPs were targeted in an elaborate sting operation in which journalists set up a bogus lobbying company and offered to pay them in return for political influence.
Byers, an arch Blairite, was filmed describing himself as a "bit like a sort of cab for hire" and offering to trade Westminster contacts for £3,000 to £5,000 a day.
Amid condemnation from senior cabinet ministers, the Labour party tried to limit the damage by saying some MPs were "mortified" by how stupid they had been, and promising a crackdown on lobbying by former ministers, rushing forward a manifesto pledge for tighter regulation and monitoring.
Others who were targeted in the undercover operation included former cabinet ministers Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt. Margaret Moran, Labour MP for Luton South, was also involved.
[snip]
In the sting, 20 MPs were invited to attend meetings to discuss joining an advisory board and 10 turned up. The meetings were mainly held at offices in London's St James's Square. An undercover Sunday Times journalist asked them how the company could go about influencing policy and how it could improve its chances of winning a government contract.
[snip]
Byers had told the bogus lobbyists he had saved hundreds of millions of pounds for National Express through his contact with Lord Adonis, the transport minister, and had influenced food labelling proposals for Tesco after phoning Lord Mandelson, the business secretary. The MP said that his friendship with Mandelson was one of his "trump cards".
However, the next day he sent an email to the meeting's organisers saying he had "overstated" the part he had played in trying to secure changes to the way in which the government deals with issues. "This means that I have not spoken to Andrew Adonis … or Peter Mandelson about the matters I mentioned," he wrote.
Byers issued a statement last night saying that at an informal meeting about a potential job opportunity he had made some exaggerated claims.
"Having reflected on my comments I knew that I should immediately put the record straight. I did so the following morning by making it clear that I have never lobbied ministers on behalf of commercial interests. I later withdrew my name for consideration. I have always fully disclosed my outside interests," he said. Byers described the set-up as a "massive deception".http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/21/lobbying-sting-labour-mps-influence
Perhaps not a surprising story, there has been a revolving door of ex-ministers cashing in on their former ministerial positions by securing highly paid "advisory" roles for private companies. But nevertheless it does raise questions as to why we allow former ministers to trade on their positions so soon after they leave the office, and what effect such private sector inducements have on government policy. It's not so surprising that we have so many ministers gung ho for privatisation, when they know that they're increasing the slice of the private sector pie they can look forward to when they step down.....
Stephen Byers, the former transport secretary, today insisted he had complied with the MPs' code of conduct after a group of Labour MPs were targeted in an elaborate sting operation in which journalists set up a bogus lobbying company and offered to pay them in return for political influence.
Byers, an arch Blairite, was filmed describing himself as a "bit like a sort of cab for hire" and offering to trade Westminster contacts for £3,000 to £5,000 a day.
Amid condemnation from senior cabinet ministers, the Labour party tried to limit the damage by saying some MPs were "mortified" by how stupid they had been, and promising a crackdown on lobbying by former ministers, rushing forward a manifesto pledge for tighter regulation and monitoring.
Others who were targeted in the undercover operation included former cabinet ministers Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt. Margaret Moran, Labour MP for Luton South, was also involved.
[snip]
In the sting, 20 MPs were invited to attend meetings to discuss joining an advisory board and 10 turned up. The meetings were mainly held at offices in London's St James's Square. An undercover Sunday Times journalist asked them how the company could go about influencing policy and how it could improve its chances of winning a government contract.
[snip]
Byers had told the bogus lobbyists he had saved hundreds of millions of pounds for National Express through his contact with Lord Adonis, the transport minister, and had influenced food labelling proposals for Tesco after phoning Lord Mandelson, the business secretary. The MP said that his friendship with Mandelson was one of his "trump cards".
However, the next day he sent an email to the meeting's organisers saying he had "overstated" the part he had played in trying to secure changes to the way in which the government deals with issues. "This means that I have not spoken to Andrew Adonis … or Peter Mandelson about the matters I mentioned," he wrote.
Byers issued a statement last night saying that at an informal meeting about a potential job opportunity he had made some exaggerated claims.
"Having reflected on my comments I knew that I should immediately put the record straight. I did so the following morning by making it clear that I have never lobbied ministers on behalf of commercial interests. I later withdrew my name for consideration. I have always fully disclosed my outside interests," he said. Byers described the set-up as a "massive deception".http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/21/lobbying-sting-labour-mps-influence
Perhaps not a surprising story, there has been a revolving door of ex-ministers cashing in on their former ministerial positions by securing highly paid "advisory" roles for private companies. But nevertheless it does raise questions as to why we allow former ministers to trade on their positions so soon after they leave the office, and what effect such private sector inducements have on government policy. It's not so surprising that we have so many ministers gung ho for privatisation, when they know that they're increasing the slice of the private sector pie they can look forward to when they step down.....