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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11899680" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="qatar" source="Orion">Qatar</keyword> wanted a Conservative chair of the APPG ahead of the <keyword id="11895958" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="world-cup" source="Orion">World Cup</keyword>, sources have claimed.</li><li>Former minister <keyword id="13016857" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alun-cairns" source="Orion">Alun Cairns</keyword> was deemed "preferable" to incumbent Alistair Carmichael, these sources said.</li></ul>The Qatari foreign ministry said it wanted the chair of the UK all-party parliamentary group (APPG) to be dropped in favour of a Conservative MP, and to replace the long-term secretariat, sources have told Insider. Both wishes seem to have come true: Tory former minister Alun Cairns was elected as chair earlier this year, with Argo Capital Management, a hedge fund, appointed as secretariat of the group.The claim has sparked concern from transparency campaigners, who said that this appears to be an example of the loosely-regulated system of parliamentary groupings being "hijacked."The changes to the APPG come alongside increased efforts by Qatar to burnish its reputation ahead of hosting the 2022 World Cup, which has been marred by accusations of workers' rights abuses, most recently that <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61018432">conditions "amount to forced labour"</a>.MPs have accepted £220,000 worth of trips funded by Qatar since the start of 2021, <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/220323/qatar.htm">official records show</a>. Insider spoke to several sources involved with the APPG, who believed that Qatar had triggered changes in its parliamentary chairman and also its secretariat — the external body that helps manage the group.The sources spoke to Insider on the basis of anonymity to speak frankly about their concerns. One person connected with the APPG told Insider that its former chair, the Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael, stepped aside after the Qatari government suggested it would be "preferable" for it to be chaired by a Tory. Another source said Carmichael had been "eased out".A third party recommended Alun Cairns, a Conservative MP and former Welsh secretary, to the Qataris, who then put his name to people in Westminster, two sources said. Carmichael's departure led to the first of two hotly-contested elections. The first, in spring 2021, saw Cairns beaten by another Tory, Sir David Amess, who one attendee said "packed out the meeting" with his supporters.Amess served as chairman for only a few months before <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conservative-mp-david-amess-stabbed-report-2021-10">being stabbed to death by an IS fanatic in October 2021 in his constituency</a>. This prompted another election in January 2022, which Cairns narrowly won. In an unusually-well attended meeting, he beat another Tory, David Mundell, 46 votes to 45, <a href="https://order-order.com/2022/01/04/91-mps-scramble-for-qatar-world-cup-freebie/">as reported at the time by the Guido Fawkes blog</a>.One source told Insider: "The embassy was very happy [with Carmichael] but somebody in Doha decided they wanted it done differently. As is often the case when dealing with countries that are not parliamentary democracies they don't understand how things work here."Another said: "It came from Doha … The end result was that it was made known to Alistair that they wanted a Tory chair, and it had been decided in Doha … David Amess got elected anyhow, which upset their plans because it certainly wasn't David Amess they had in mind." Asked if Qatar had expressed a desire for Cairns, specifically, to take over, the source said: "Yes."The source also told Insider that Qatari officials suggested a change to the secretariat — the body which acts as a liaison between parliamentarians, the embassy and Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Previously the role had been held by Chris Doyle, director of the Council of Arab-British Understanding, who helped found the APPG 20 years ago.After Cairns took the reins, the secretariat passed to Argo, an emerging-markets-focused hedge fund, <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/220209/qatar.htm">the APPG's registration details show</a>.One of Argo's directors, Jeremy Bradshaw, is listed as the point of contact for the Qatar APPG. He did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.Bradshaw, also the point of contact for the Conservative Friends of China, once stood unsuccessfully as the Tory candidate for Regent's Park &amp; Kensington North. He runs the Britain Club, a right-wing political "salon".Bradshaw is a long-time friend of Nigel Evans, deputy speaker of the House of Commons and honorary president of the Qatar APPG. He is also listed as a patron of the Britain Club.One Labour MP told Insider Bradshaw had been "hanging around" on a Qatar APPG visit — which took place beforeArgo was listed as the secretariat — but had been evasive about his presence."He was at every meeting, and I said to him 'could you just explain your role?' and he said 'why?'," the MP told Insider. "I asked him if he was paid, and he said 'no, no, well maybe, sort of, not really."Two other sources noted the unexplained involvement of another person in recent weeks. Dominic Armstrong, president of strategic intelligence firm Herminius, took part in a recent APPG trip to Doha, two sources said. "For some reason, he seemed to be running some of the activities for the MPs," said one, who suggested Armstrong had put together a "parallel programme" that included at least one lunch with a senior Qatari official, Ali Al Thawadi.The source added: "Some people amongst the delegation were clearly aware who [Armstrong] was — others were not."Armstrong, brother of the British TV personality Alexander Armstrong, appeared to be the host of the lunch, welcoming delegates and joining the top table alongside Al Thawadi and others. It was only after it had concluded they realised it was "actually not under the auspices of the British Embassy at Qatar", the second source said. It is not clear how he obtained the delegates' contact details.On its website, Herminius boasts about "operating in some of the most complex environments", with businesses "for whom confidentiality is essential". Armstrong is also the founder of a geopolitical hedge fund called Horatius, and he helped set up the intelligence arm of private security company Aegis with Colonel Tim Spicer in 2002.Armstrong's name also appears in <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1002295/DIT-ministers-meetings-Jan-Mar-2021.csv/preview">Department for International Trade records from January to March 2021</a>. He met investment minister Lord Gerry Grimstone alongside representatives of Rolls-Royce, a member of Qatar's ruling family Sheikh Sultan al Thani, and the same Qatari official — Ali Al Thawadi — "to discuss a potential investment opportunity".In December, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), announced plans to invest £85 million in Rolls-Royce SMR Limited, to help develop a new nuclear power business. This deal was referenced during the Doha lunch, two sources said. Rolls-Royce's chief technology officer and chairman of the SMR division Paul Stein has also addressed the APPG this year.Armstrong told Insider he was in Doha, but said: "I have nothing to do with parliament, <keyword id="11893346" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics" source="Orion">politics</keyword> or any APPG delegations ... I was indeed in Doha, but entirely on my own business — I didn't join any political meetings, that's not my world."He added that "the only hosting I did" was a dinner with a former Rolls-Royce executive on Sunday evening, alongside "a retired soldier, someone in London property and an economist".Armstrong confirmed he had acted as an adviser on the Rolls-Royce deal.Neither Cairns nor Bradshaw responded to several requests for a comment. No one from Argo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Doha or the Qatari embassy in London responded to requests for comment. Steve Goodrich, head of research and investigations at Transparency International UK, told Insider: "While all-party parliamentary groups can play a valuable role in Parliament, they are currently at risk of being hijacked to advance the interests of companies and foreign governments. "There are perilously few controls on who can administer or support APPGs, leaving them wide open to infiltration and potential influence by those with vested interests. In order to avoid the next big lobbying scandal, there should be much greater openness and accountability over how these groups are run."

Qatar sought Conservative MP as chair of the Qatar APPG ahead of World Cup, sources claim

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13016857" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alun-cairns" source="Orion">Alun Cairns</keyword> met Elite Partners Capital during a holiday in Singapore and discussed the Swansea Bay City Deal.</li><li>The former Secretary of State for Wales later took a £30,000-a-year job with Elite Partners Capital.</li></ul>A former Cabinet minister took a job with a Singaporean private equity firm after giving it advice on securing investments in a £1.3 billion government-backed programme that he had direct oversight of.Documents obtained by Insider shed light on how Alun Cairns, a Conservative MP, got the £30,000-a-year side job, and the work he did to support the firm's goals while in office.They offer an insight into the limited scrutiny of how ministers sell their services after leaving office, and may further the widespread doubts about the effectiveness of the UK system of checks and balances. The Labour Party told Insider Cairns "has serious questions to answer" over whether the work is appropriate.Cairns met Elite Partners Capital in Singapore while on a family holiday in August 2019 to discuss details of the Swansea Bay City Deal, per the documents.The Swansea deal is a £1.3 billion programme of investment projects between the UK Government, the Welsh Government, local authorities, and private investors. As Secretary of State for Wales, the city deal was one of Cairns' <a href="https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20190803065321/https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/secretary-of-state-for-wales">ministerial responsibilities</a>.Minutes of the meeting, taken by a Department of International Trade official working in Singapore, detail the specific support Cairns gave to Elite. The minutes were obtained by Insider through a Freedom of Information request.Elite was looking to invest in the Swansea City Deal programme, specifically the Swansea City and Waterfront Digital District project, the minutes show. The firm had already visited Swansea twice and was working through its due-diligence process. A meeting objective was for "EPC to be reassured of additional support" from the UK government.Cairns gave Elite details on delays to the Swansea City Deal, and supported its proposal to seek a commitment to become a long-term partner of Swansea Council. He said such a partnership would have "real value".The minutes conclude that the Wales Office would produce a fact sheet for Elite with information on the attractiveness of different projects, along with UK employment data.Cairns' private office — composed of officials working on his diary management and correspondence — was to see if he could provide a tour of Parliament to Elite executives on a visit to the UK later that month. It is unclear if such a tour did go ahead. Further government assistance was to be offered by the Department of International Trade in arranging meetings with senior officials at the Treasury and HMRC (the UK's tax revenue and customs agency) to discuss tax regimes.However, Cairns told the committee responsible for examining ex-ministers' jobs about none of the support he had given Elite in any detail while seeking official approval to take up a second job with Elite some months after quitting the front bench.In March 2021, Cairns told the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (<keyword id="11946636" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="acoba" source="Orion">ACOBA</keyword>) that he had no involvement in policy development, decisions related to the company, contractual, or commercial decisions. The former minister made no reference to the £1.3bn project in Swansea.Cairns told ACOBA his meetings were to "highlight City and Growth Deal policies around Wales and the UK."He said he was unaware of "Elite Partners Capital investing in any City or Growth Deal plan or in seeking government assistance" in documents sent to ACOBA in connection with the role.The Vale of Glamorgan MP also told the arms-length moderating committee his role was to "champion investment opportunities in general", and that he had no role in contractual or commercial decisions.He said that "if any organisation wanted to pursue an investment opportunity further, they were passed to the Welsh Government or to the local City or Growth Deal team to develop further."Cairns's former department, the Wales Office, did not reject Cairns' claim to only ever have promoted investment opportunities in general terms in material it sent to ACOBA.It supported Cairns's claim that he made no regulatory or policy decisions that would have affected the firm, even though he was responsible for the investment programme in question.Cairns's request for approval from ACOBA of his job with Elite was granted. He joined Elite in June 2021 as an advisor to the board on "economic and political developments in the UK that could impact the group's international investments." He declared an annual income from Elite of £30,000 for up to 84 hours work, an hourly rate of at least £357.Cairns' office did not respond to several requests for comment. It is unclear whether Elite has actually invested in the Swansea City Deal programme, but most projects in the Swansea Bay City Deal are not yet at the stage of receiving private investment.A spokesperson for the Wales Office declined to comment. An ACOBA spokesperson told Insider it did "not consider any further action is required." The opposition Labour party said Cairns has "serious questions to answer" after Insider's findings.Jo Stevens MP, the shadow Welsh Secretary, told Insider: "Alun Cairns was cleared by ACOBA to take up his £30k-a-year second job with Elite after he submitted that his previous involvement with the company was very limited.""But the notes of his meeting with Elite whilst on a family holiday in the Far East, and the detailed actions he promised to take up for them afterwards, mean that he has serious questions to answer."These rules exist to ensure that when former ministers take up second jobs, there are no suspicions about improper influence or conduct."Parliamentarians and campaigners have long been critical of ACOBA. On January 11, Lord Jonathan Evans, the chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, told a Parliamentary committee that ACOBA "doesn't have the teeth that it needs."The ACOBA chair, Lord Eric Pickles, has conceded how little it can accomplish, saying in April 2021: "ACOBA is not a watchdog, not a regulator. It has a very limited and defined role." It is more than two years since Cairns left his ministerial job, which brings looser rules. He is now free to lobby the UK government on behalf of Elite, and advise them on "work with regard to any policy [Cairns] had specific involvement or responsibility for as Secretary of State of Wales", according <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cairns-alun-secretary-of-state-for-wales-acoba-advice/advice-letter-alun-cairns-advisor-elite-partners-capital">to the advice letter stating the committee's approval of the job</a> sent by ACOBA to Cairns in April 2021.There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Elite. The firm did not respond to requests for a comment.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conservative-former-minister-alan-cairns-hired-firm-uk-government-properties-2021-6?r=US&amp;IR=T">As Insider reported in June 2021</a>, one of Elite's investments in the UK is a £500 million property portfolio of 155 offices across the country, 99% of which are leased to the UK government. The primary occupier is the Department of Work and Pensions, which operates Jobcentres and back offices from the leased buildings. Elite also runs several other funds.

Former UK Cabinet minister advised private equity firm on £1.3 billion project before taking job as consultant

<ul class="summary-list"><li>EXCLUSIVE: Former Welsh Secretary <keyword id="1626589" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Alun-Cairns">Alun Cairns</keyword> takes job with firm owning £500 million of UK government buildings.</li><li>Cairns met with the firm while he was Secretary of State for Wales to discuss "investment opportunities."</li><li>The opposition Labour Party accuse Cairns of using his position "to enrich himself".</li></ul>A Conservative Member of Parliament and former minister in the UK government has taken a job advising a Singapore-based property investment company that owns hundreds of millions of pounds worth of office buildings leased by the British government, an Insider investigation has found.Alun Cairns MP, the former Secretary of State for Wales, is being paid nearly £360 an hour by Elite Partners Capital (EPC), to advise them "on economic and political developments in the UK that could impact the group's international investments."Cairns met with the company during his time in government in order to discuss "investment opportunities" in Wales, official records show.Among the company's "international investments" is the <a href="https://www.elitecreit.com/">Elite Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust</a>. The trust's portfolio consists of 155 properties in the UK, 99% of which are leased by the government.Most of the properties are leased by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and operate as job centres, with the trust listing 123 job centres on <a href="https://www.elitecreit.com/portfolio-overview.html">their website.</a>An <a href="https://investor.elitecreit.com/newsroom/20210518_173650_MXNU_N5IHNOUDSBGCY8RL.1.pdf">investor presentation by the company</a> last month predicted there would be "increasing utilisation of DWP's services" due to the fact that once the government furlough scheme ends, "unemployment is expected to rise".Their <a href="https://investor.elitecreit.com/misc/ar2020.pdf">annual report</a> adds: "Amidst rising uncertainty and unemployment in the UK, demand for social and employment support services administered by DWP's Jobcentres continues to intensify, keeping our properties relevant."The Singapore-based firm also owns properties leased by other parts of government, including the Ministry of Defence and the Environment Agency.Since resigning from the government in November 2019, Cairns has also joined the <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/210602/singapore.htm">All Party Parliamentary Group on Singapore</a>.<h2>Opponents say Cairns 'used his position to enrich himself'</h2><div type="image" title="Boris Johnson and Alun Cairns" height="1240" width="2480" msid="83614553" hostid="261"></div>There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by EPC.However, campaigners and opposition MPs have raised concerns about the possibility that Cairns' government connections could be improperly benefiting the company.Fleur Anderson MP, Shadow Cabinet Minister in the opposition Labour Party, told Insider: "Under this Government sleaze and cronyism have become so routine and common that it is not surprising that a senior Tory MP appears to have used his position to enrich himself, rather than serve his constituents."It's time to ban MPs with pound signs in their eyes taking private money for lobbying gigs, and urgently reform <keyword id="11311240" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="acoba">ACOBA</keyword> - which is standing idly by while our <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> gets polluted. Labour would establish a single Ethics and Integrity Commission with the powers to oversee and enforce anti-corruption and ethics laws and regulations, which are currently fragmented and toothless."Rose Whiffen, Research Officer at Transparency International UK, told Insider: "Inevitably, former ministers will seek gainful employment on leaving public office, but recent scandal demonstrates how easy it is for them to use their privileged connections and insider expertise to provide a competitive advantage to their new employer. "Whilst the ethics watchdog for this <keyword id="3758604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="revolving-door">revolving door</keyword>, ACOBA, can advise past officeholders not to lobby government and use their personal contacts for private gain, there is no meaningful way of it enforcing these restrictions. "To avoid another Greensill saga, or worse, government should heed calls to put ACOBA on a statutory footing and give it real teeth to do its job effectively."Such concerns will be exacerbated by inconsistencies between what Cairns told ACOBA and what his former department has previously said in transparency releases.Cairns told the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), which advises former ministers on their private sector appointments, that he had "initially met EPC during a seminar organised by the Department for International Trade (DIT) seeking to attract Foreign Direct Investment into the UK in Spring 2019". Cairns's former department, the Wales Office, confirmed this information. Cairns's role at these meetings, the department said, "was to promote investment opportunities rather than conduct specific investment discussions."But <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/office-of-the-secretary-of-state-for-wales-senior-staff-transparency-april-june-2019">transparency releases from the Wales Office</a> make no mention of a meeting between Cairns and EPC in spring 2019 organised by DIT. They do show, however, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/office-of-the-secretary-of-state-for-wales-senior-staff-transparency-july-september-2019">a meeting in the height of summer</a> on 14 August 2019 between Cairns and EPC "to discuss investment opportunities in Wales".Nor is it clear from ACOBA's letter to Cairns if the extent of EPC's investment in UK government leased buildings was made clear to the committee.Insider has asked the Wales Office and DIT for further information on meetings between Cairns and EPC but has not received any response at the time of publication.Insider asked Cairns if he could clarify the number of times he met with EPC or their representatives, or how feasible it was that he would have no contact with the government with relation to the firm's work in the UK, nor that he would ensure no privileged information or contacts would be used to benefit the company, while providing value for money for the company.A spokesperson for Alun Cairns told Insider: "In line with Parliamentary procedure, this role was approved by the independent body ACOBA."It is not parliamentary procedure that requires former ministers to seek advice from ACOBA, but the Ministerial Code set out and adjudicated by the Prime Minister.Parliamentary procedure requires MPs to declare sources of outside income. Cairns's <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/210614/cairns_alun.htm">entry on the register of members' interests</a> notes the MP is pocketing a further £30,000 a year from another two companies for providing "strategic advice" to their boards.One company, BBI Group, produces coronavirus tests for the UK government, <a href="https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/alun-cairns-bbi-expenses-claims-18789935">Wales Online reported</a>.

Conservative former minister hired by Singapore firm owning £500 million property empire leased to the UK government

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Cabinet minister Alun Cairnes has quit on the day that Boris Johnson will launch his general election campaign.Cairnes announced his resignation as Wales Secretary on Wednesday amid claims that he was aware of the role his former aide played in a "sabotaged" rape trial.Ross England, who is now a Conservative member of the Welsh Assembly, made claims about a victim's sexual history in an April 2018 trial which led the case to collapse.Cairnes denied having knowledge of this when England was nominated to stand as an assembly election candidate in December 2018.However, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-50302172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC Wales reported</a> that he was told about the incident in an email sent four months prior to this in August.In a letter to Prime Minister Johnson, he wrote: "You will be aware of allegations relating to the actions of a party employee and candidate for the Welsh assembly elections in the Vale of Glamorgan."This is a very sensitive matter, and in light of continued speculation, I write to tender my resignation as secretary of state for Wales."I will co-operate in full with the investigation under the Ministerial Code which will now take place and I am confident I will be cleared of any breach or wrong doing."&#xa0;More follows...Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/267178180471848/">here.</a><div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economist-weighted-voting-could-help-save-us-democracy-2018-5">This top economist has a radical plan to change the way Americans vote - weighted voting</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Cabinet minister Alun Cairns quits on the day of Boris Johnson's election campaign launch

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Former ministers and officials should be fined if they breach revolving door rules, the watchdog's chair has said.</li><li>Lord Pickles said the current system's lack of enforcement was not credible.</li></ul>The enforcement system where "nothing happens" to former ministers and officials who break revolving door rules is not credible, the chair of the revolving door watchdog has said.<a href="https://www.publicfinance.co.uk/interview/2022/03/audio-pf-conversation-lord-pickles">In an interview with trade magazine Public Finance</a>, Lord <keyword id="13358515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="eric-pickles" source="Orion">Eric Pickles</keyword>, chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (<keyword id="11946636" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="acoba" source="Orion">ACOBA</keyword>), turned the tables on claims that his committee is toothless, instead arguing it is the rules that lack bite. These rules are set by the government, not ACOBA.Pickles, a Conservative peer and former Cabinet minister, said the current system was not "terribly credible" and that the government must "get over the threshold of credibility". He said there needed to be the ability to fine those that broke the rules. Pickles suggested fines could be levied on the severance pay received by former ministers, which can reach as much as £16,000. ACOBA cannot block former ministers or officials from taking up jobs after government, and can only provide advice reminding people of their obligations not to lobby the government for two years from their departure date. ACOBA cannot compel former ministers or officials to go to them for advice before taking up the job.In the case of a breach of the rules, their sole power is to publish a letter to the Cabinet Office informing them of the breach, saying it is for the government to then take further action as appropriate.No former minister or official who has broken the rules has ever faced sanctions from the government as a result.Pickles said he was working with the government to update the rules. This work was meant to have concluded by the end of 2021 but was delayed in December 2021 to an unspecified date in 2022.Changes already implemented since he had become chair of ACOBA included having the watchdog be consulted on honours, future government roles, and elevation to the House of Lords.The change to have ACOBA consulted on the appropriateness of former ministers and officials receiving honours took "quite a tussle to get", he said."I certainly believe the greatest task is about enforcement. If you decide to devote your life looking after orphans and people on a low income and don't receive a salary, and forget to apply, or if you decide to join SPECTRE [a criminal organisation from the James Bond franchise] and work out ways to murder the firstborn, the result is the same," he said."Nothing happens to you. And I don't think that's terribly credible."Pickles said some departments were "slapdash" and not properly considering the risks of former ministers and officials taking up appointments.Pickles also criticised the ministerial code, calling it a "dog's breakfast" that should be re-written from scratch based on the seven Nolan Principles of Public Life.Pickles supported the Committee on Standards in Public Life's rejection of proposals for a unified ethics body, which the opposition Labour Party has called for, saying the suggestion was "beyond ghastly".Insider has extensively reported on the shortcomings of the Business Appointment Rules :<ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-minister-broke-second-jobs-rules-again-watchdog-says-2022-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">Former housing minister Esther McVey gave a paid speech on how to lobby the government</a> to a construction trade association. ACOBA had previously found she broke the rules for taking a role as a GB News presenter without seeking their advice first.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boris-johnson-rehires-minister-who-repeatedly-broke-ministerial-code-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=T">In September 2021, George Freeman was reappointed as a minister</a> after being found to have breached the rules by failing to consult ACOBA.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/alun-cairns-advised-elite-partners-later-took-job-2022-1?r=US&amp;IR=T">Former Welsh secretary Alun Cairns took a £30,000-a-year job with a Singaporean private equity firm</a> after advising them in office on how to invest in a £1.3 billion government-backed programme he had oversight of. The department said it had no concerns about the role.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/robbie-gibb-didnt-seek-advice-acoba-lobbying-regulator-breached-rules-2021-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Robbie Gibb, former director of communications to Theresa May, joined the board of a top Conservative lobbying forum</a> but did not consult ACOBA. Pickles is the president of the forum, and another member of the committee is chairman and co-founder of the forum. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cummings-broke-government-rules-with-substack-watchdog-says-2021-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">Dominic Cummings, former chief advisor to Boris Johnson,</a> did not seek advice from ACOBA before starting his paid-for Substack and offering his services as a consultant. Unusually, the government is yet to respond to the letter sent to them by Pickles in July 2021, despite having responded to letters about other individuals sent subsequently.</li></ul>ACOBA did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Former ministers and officials who break revolving door rules should be fined, watchdog chair says

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13363234" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="penny-mordaunt" source="Orion">Penny Mordaunt</keyword> has hit out at colleagues for continuing to meet <keyword id="13241074" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alexander-temerko" source="Orion">Alexander Temerko</keyword> after their public dispute.</li><li>The donor said Mordaunt was "an absolutely uncontrollable woman" and "the biggest threat to security".</li></ul>A minister has criticised Conservative colleagues who are continuing to meet with Alexander Temerko after the major donor called her the "biggest threat to security".Penny Mordaunt, a trade minister and former defence secretary, has told Insider that MPs who accepted donations from the Ukranian-born businessman before their very public dispute "will have had no knowledge of these issues", adding: "But everyone does now."Her intervention comes after Temerko held meetings with senior Tories this week. <keyword id="13363235" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="jeremy-hunt" source="Orion">Jeremy Hunt</keyword>, a former foreign secretary whose unsuccessful leadership campaign in 2019 was <a href="https://www.alexandertemerko.co.uk/en/press_release/alexander-temerko-supports-jeremy-hunt-to-become-the-next-leader-of-the-conservative-party/">supported by Temerko</a>, met him on Thursday, Insider has learned. The pair had lunch at the high-end Corinthia hotel near Westminster.Meanwhile Temerko was seen in Parliament's Pugin Room with Wales Secretary Simon Hart, former Wales Secretary Alun Cairns, and Conservative peer Baroness Emma Pidding on Wednesday, <a href="https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/mariupol-massacre-scoop-rishi-vs-kwasi-blackford-exit-plan/">Politico reported</a>.Temerko is the co-owner of Aquind, a firm trying to develop a £1.2 billion project connecting British and French power grids under the English Channel. Permission for the project was blocked by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng in January. Temerko, a former Russian arms industry chief, is now seeking to overturn that ruling through a judicial review.Mordaunt, whose constituency is in Portsmouth, the proposed site on the English side for the Aquind project, warned it could pose a threat to Britain's energy security but was not involved in the decision.However, after the proposal was blocked she became the focus of Temerko's frustration. He told <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/01/22/ministers-making-fuel-poverty-worse-rejecting-power-link-france/">The Sunday Telegraph</a>: "The real threat to national security is Penny Mordaunt - absolutely uncontrollable woman."<div type="image" title="Alexander Temerko giving a TV interview in 2020" height="939" width="1255" msid="90157206" hostid="261"></div>He also alleged Mordaunt had broken the ministerial code, threatened legal action and said he would write to Johnson to discuss her future as a minister. Temerko has since <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tory-donor-drops-threat-of-legal-action-against-mordaunt-2022-2?r=US&amp;IR=T">backed away from his plans to take legal action against Mordaunt</a>.Mordaunt told Insider that the party's code of conduct "should apply to all members including donors".She added: "Donating to a political party is a social good. It enables democracy and good things to happen in our communities. I know that the donor community feel doubly let down when someone does not abide by the behaviour we expect."As an MP I am shocked that a party donor has threatened me just for doing my job and representing my constituents. His comments speak for themselves. Donors don't control MPs. Donors don't get to decide what MPs do or think.""In the context of what is happening in Ukraine I want to make it clear my concerns about Mr Temerko have nothing to do with his heritage or former employment," she said. "It has everything to do with his behaviour towards me and my constituents."Nor do I have an issue with colleagues or associations who have historically accepted donations from him in good faith. They will have had no knowledge of these issues. But everyone does now.""Members of Parliament should not be threatened. Our democracy should not be undermined. Bullies should not be tolerated," she added.Mordaunt was the first woman to be made defence secretary, a role she held from May 2019 until July 2019, when Boris Johnson carried out his first reshuffle as prime minister. She had supported Hunt's rival leadership campaign.Hunt told Insider: "Alexander Temerko is a Ukrainian-born British businessman who has spent his life standing up to Putin and as such encountered considerable personal danger."It was a privilege to meet him yesterday to express my condolences over the family members he has just lost back home as a result of Putin's evil war."Since 2014, Temerko has personally given more than £730,000 to the Conservatives. Aquind has given nearly £440,000 to the party, £72,500 of which was received by Hunt. Offshore Group Newcastle, a dissolved firm Temerko was director of, gave nearly £475,000 between 2012 and 2015. His son, Vladimir Temerko, gave £8,000 to the party in October 2021. All donations were legal and properly declared. Pidding, a former senior official in the party, wrote to an EU agency in support of special regulatory treatment for Aquind along with Conservative MP Andrew Percy, who had received £10,000 from Temerko, <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tory-mp-andrew-percy-lobbied-eu-to-back-donors-energy-project-th6kx0wcm">this reporter wrote for The Times</a>.<a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/290/committee-on-standards/news/119056/committee-on-standards-publishes-report-on-the-conduct-of-david-morris-mp/">Tory MP David Morris had to apologise to the House of Commons</a> after receiving £10,000 from Aquind and a month later asking the government to lobby the UK energy regulator to change rules to support the company. Temerko is the co-owner of Aquind with Viktor Fedotov, a secretive Russian-born oligarch whose involvement with the firm was revealed by <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/revealed-viktor-fedotov-is-tycoon-behind-aquind-energy-project-pq0868vmj">The Times</a>. A spokesperson for Temerko did not provide a comment by the time of publication.

Minister hits out at Tory colleagues for continuing to do business with donor after he called her a security threat

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6380867" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="boris-johnson">Boris Johnson</keyword>'s Conservatives took more than £60 million from the property sector in the last decade.</li><li>This is more than one-fifth of all reportable donations received by the party, the highest ratio of any UK party.</li><li>Campaigners say the financial reliance puts ministers "under pressure to provide exclusive access."</li></ul>Boris Johnson's <keyword id="107792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Conservative-party">Conservative Party</keyword> has an "unhealthy financial reliance" on donations from the property sector, campaigners have warned, as they revealed new figures setting out the scale of support given to the party.The research by Transparency International UK found that between January 2010 and March 2020, £60.8 million was given to the Conservatives from individuals and companies within the property sector.This figure is more than a fifth of the reportable donations received by the Conservatives, the highest ratio of any political party in the UK.Much of that money came from a small number of individuals, with one in every ten pounds of reported donations to Conservative Party HQ between 2015 and 2019 coming from just ten donors.Duncan Hames, a former Liberal Democrat MP and Director of Policy at Transparency International UK, told Insider: "While it is no secret that political parties receive much of their funding from a relatively small number of donors, the extent to which the Conservative Party depends financially on those with major property interests is of serious concern. "An unhealthy financial reliance on those with vested interests in one sector puts ministers under pressure to provide exclusive access which creates a real risk that decisions are skewed in their favour. Breaking this dependence is key to removing the risk of undue influence and freeing government to explore bolder solutions to address the housing crisis."Ties between the Conservative Party and the property sector is not limited to donations, with hundreds of meetings reported between ministers and groups lobbying on property issues.Transparency International UK's analysis of government reports of ministerial meetings found there were 669 meetings to discuss housing issues between January 2017 and March 2020. Individual Conservative MPs also have strong links to the sector. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conservative-former-minister-alan-cairns-hired-firm-uk-government-properties-2021-6?op=1">Insider reported last month</a> that the former Welsh Secretary minister Alun Cairns held meetings with a Singaporean firm that owned a £500 million property empire leased to the UK government. Since leaving his ministerial post, he has taken a £30,000 a year job with the firm. Anneliese Dodds MP, chair of the opposition Labour Party, said: "It's no wonder the Conservatives are resisting more transparency on property ownership, when party coffers are stuffed full of so much cash from major overseas property tycoons. "This is yet another example of how the rules around transparency for lobbying ministers aren't fit for purpose. We need to know who is lobbying ministers, what they want from government and what is discussed when they meet."We need urgent reform. It cannot be the case that it is one rule for the Conservatives and another for everyone else."Duncan Hames said: "Access and potentially influence in UK <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> remains woefully opaque. We know more about those seeking to shape planning decisions in rural Ireland than we do about private interests trying to shape decisions and housing policy in Whitehall."Time and time again we see government departments failing to follow their own transparency rules while the limited statutory register of consultant lobbyists only paints a tiny part of this picture. A major overhaul of the UK's lobbying rules is needed to increase transparency and ensure there are fewer corners for impropriety to hide."The group proposes an end to the influence of big donors in politics by introducing a £10,000 limit on donations from individuals and companies per donor per year.A Conservative Party spokesperson said: "Government policy is in no way influenced by the donations the Party receives - they are entirely separate."Donations to the Conservative Party are properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission, published by them, and comply fully with the law. Fundraising is a legitimate part of the democratic process. The alternative is more taxpayer-funding of political campaigning, which would mean less money for frontline services like schools, police and hospitals."The Conservative Party is delivering on its manifesto commitments to deliver more homes, with new housing supply having risen to its highest levels for 30 years. Working with the housing industry is an essential part of getting new homes built and regenerating brownfield land."

Boris Johnson's Conservative Party is heavily bankrolled by the property sector, new figures show

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword> says it has banned 287 UK MPs from entering the country in retaliation to sanctions.</li><li>Russia's foreign ministry said the bans are because British MPs are creating "Russophobic hysteria."</li></ul>Russia has sanctioned nearly 300 British MPs in retaliation for restrictions imposed on members of its parliament, the Duma, last month, but has included a number of politicians who are no longer serving. In its list of 287 individuals, the Kremlin has targeted current ministers including Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay, minister for Brexit opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg, trade minister Penny Mordaunt, and solicitor general Alex Chalk, as well as senior MPs such as Jeremy Hunt, Steve Baker, David Davis and Julian Lewis. However Russia has also gone after Rory Stewart, Dominic Grieve and Sarah Wollaston, who haven't been MPs since the 2019 election, and Charlie Elphicke, who stepped down after being found guilty on three counts of sexual assault. In another error, Tory MP Heather Wheeler's name appears twice, as the 18th and 206th entries, meaning there are actually just 286 names on the list. Meanwhile Alun Cairns' name has been misspelled. <a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1810980/#sel=11:1:J1Q,11:6:HJo">According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,</a> the politicians listed "cannot visit the Russian Federation from now on."A translation of a statement reported by state-owned Russian news agency RIA Novosti said the sanctions were being applied "on the basis of reciprocity," following the decision to <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-sanctions-386-duma-members-over-support-for-luhansk-and-donetsk/">sanction 386 members of the Duma after they backed Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine</a>."These persons, who are now banned from entering the Russian Federation, took the most active part in the establishment of anti-Russian sanctions instruments in London (and) contribute to the groundless whipping up of Russophobic hysteria in the UK," it read."The hostile rhetoric and far-fetched accusations coming from the lips of British parliamentarians not only condone the hostile course of London, aimed at demonizing our country and its international isolation, but are also used by opponents of a mutually respectful dialogue with Russia to undermine the foundation of bilateral co-operation."Prime Minister <keyword id="11911533" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="boris-johnson" source="Orion">Boris Johnson</keyword>, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and 10 other senior politicians — mostly members of the Cabinet — have already been barred. Theresa May, the former prime minister, was also on the initial list. "Taking into account London's bet on the consistent strengthening of anti-Russian sanctions, work on countermeasures, including the expansion of the Russian 'stop list,' will continue," it added. Speaking during Prime Minister's Questions shortly after the list was published, Boris Johnson said those on the list "should regard it as a badge of honour".He vowed that the UK "keep up our robust and principled support for the Ukrainian people and their right to protect their lives, their families, and to defend themselves".Chris Bryant, the senior Labour MP and prominent critic of the Putin regime, told the Commons he was "absolutely distressed that I am not on the list… and if I am honest slightly surprised". He added: "I can only assume the Russian Federation accepts every single thing I have said about President Putin over the last few years is true. He is a barbarous villain and we should make sure he fails."Peter Bone, one of the Tory MPs to feature on the list, said: "I am proud to have supported <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> and its people. I condemn Russia for its barbaric invasion. Sanctioning me will not stop me speaking out."Tim Loughton, another of the sanctioned Conservatives, said he had "done the double", after he was also banned from China for speaking out against human rights abuses.The list of MPs, as published by Russia's foreign ministry, <a href="https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1810980/#sel=11:1:J1Q,11:6:HJo">can be seen here</a>, or keep scrolling for the full list:<h3>Conservative MPs</h3><ol><ol><li>Stephen Paul BARCLAY,</li><li>David Michael DAVIS,</li><li>Charles George EUSTICE,</li><li>Dominic Charles GRIEVE,</li><li>Christopher HEATON-HARRIS,</li><li>Jeremy Richard Streynsham HUNT,</li><li>Alistair William JACK,</li><li>Daniel Robert KAWCZYNSKI,</li><li>Andrea Jacqueline LEADSOM,</li><li>Julian Murray LEWIS,</li><li>Esther Louise MCVEY,</li><li>Penelope Mary MORDAUNT,</li><li>Caroline Fiona Ellen NOKES,</li><li>Christopher John PINCHER,</li><li>Jacob William REES-MOGG,</li><li>Mark Steven SPENCER,</li><li>Theresa Ann VILLIERS,</li><li>Heather Kay WHEELER,</li><li>Nigel ADAMS,</li><li>Bim AFOLAMI,</li><li>Adam AFRIYIE,</li><li>Peter James Guy ALDOUS,</li><li>Lucy Elizabeth ALLAN,</li><li>Stuart James ANDREW,</li><li>Edward John Comport ARGAR,</li><li>Victoria Mary ATKINS,</li><li>Richard Michael BACON,</li><li>Kemi BADENOCH,</li><li>Steve John BAKER,</li><li>Harriet Mary Morison BALDWIN,</li><li>John Charles BARON,</li><li>Alexander Paul BERESFORD,</li><li>James Jacob Gilchrist BERRY,</li><li>Peter William BONE,</li><li>Peter James BOTTOMLEY,</li><li>Andrew Campbell BOWIE,</li><li>Ben David BRADLEY,</li><li>Karen Anne BRADLEY,</li><li>Jack Edgar BRERETON,</li><li>Andrew James BRIDGEN,</li><li>Steve BRINE,</li><li>Fiona Claire BRUCE,</li><li>Michael Alex BURGHART,</li><li>Conor BURNS,</li><li>Alan Hugh CAIRNS,</li><li>James Roger CARTLIDGE,</li><li>William Nigel Paul CASH,</li><li>Maria Colette CAULFIELD,</li><li>Alexander John Gervase CHALK,</li><li>Atta-Ur-Rehman CHISHTI,</li><li>Joanna Peta CHURCHILL,</li><li>Simon Richard CLARKE,</li><li>Geoffrey CLIFTON-BROWN,</li><li>Therese Anne COFFEY,</li><li>Alberto Castrenze COSTA,</li><li>Robert Alexander COURTS,</li><li>Tracy Elizabeth Anne CROUCH,</li><li>David Thomas Charles DAVIES,</li><li>Edward Glyn DAVIES,</li><li>Mims Jane Alice DAVIES,</li><li>Philip DAVIES,</li><li>Michelle Emma May DONELAN,</li><li>Steve Daniel DOUBLE,</li><li>Richard Grosvenor PLUNKETT-ERNLE-DRAX,</li><li>James Philip DUDDRIDGE,</li><li>David James DUGUID,</li><li>Philip Martin DUNNE,</li><li>Michael ELLIS,</li><li>Charlie Brett Anthony ELPHICKE,</li><li>Michael Louis David FABRICANT,</li><li>Victoria Grace FORD,</li><li>Kevin John FOSTER,</li><li>Mark Gino FRANCOIS,</li><li>George William FREEMAN,</li><li>Mike Whitney FREER,</li><li>Marcus John Hudson FYSH,</li><li>Roger James GALE,</li><li>Mark Robert Timothy GARNIER,</li><li>Nusrat Munir UI-GHANI,</li><li>Nicholas John GIBB,</li><li>Paul William GIRVAN,</li><li>John Philip GLEN,</li><li>Robert GOODWILL,</li><li>Richard Michael GRAHAM,</li><li>James Whiteside GRAY,</li><li>Christopher Patric James GREEN,</li><li>Damian Howard GREEN,</li><li>Justin GREENING,</li><li>Dominic Charles Roberts GRIEVE,</li><li>Samuel Phillip GYIMAH,</li><li>Robert Henry HALFON,</li><li>Luke Anthony HALL,</li><li>Greg William HANDS,</li><li>Mark James HARPER,</li><li>Elizabeth Rebecca Scott HARRIS,</li><li>Trudy Lynne HARRISON,</li><li>Simon Anthony HART,</li><li>John Henry HAYES,</li><li>Oliver HEALD,</li><li>Gordon HENDERSON,</li><li>Damian Patrick HINDS,</li><li>Kevin Paul HOLLINRAKE,</li><li>Philip Thomas HOLLOBONE,</li><li>Adam James Harold HOLLOWAY,</li><li>John Michael HOWELL,</li><li>Nigel Paul HUDDLESTON,</li><li>Eddie Francis HUGHES,</li><li>Bernard Christison JENKIN,</li><li>Andrea Marie JENKYNS,</li><li>Robert Edward JENRICK,</li><li>Caroline Elizabeth JOHNSON,</li><li>Gareth Alan JOHNSON,</li><li>Joseph JOHNSON,</li><li>Andrew Hanson JONES,</li><li>David Ian JONES,</li><li>Marcus Charles JONES,</li><li>Gillian KEEGAN,</li><li>Sema Louise Ghiassi KENNEDY,</li><li>Stephen Charles KERR,</li><li>Greg KNIGHT,</li><li>John Robert LAMONT,</li><li>Pauline Elizabeth LATHAM,</li><li>Philip James LEE,</li><li>Jeremy John Elton LEFROY,</li><li>Edward Julian LEIGH,</li><li>Oliver LETWIN,</li><li>Andrew Iain LEWER,</li><li>Ian Richard Peregrine LIDDELL-GRAINGER,</li><li>Julia Louis LOPEZ,</li><li>Jack Giacomo LOPRESTI,</li><li>Jonathan George CALADINE,</li><li>Tim Paul LOUGHTON,</li><li>Craig MACKINLAY,</li><li>Rachel Helen MACLEAN,</li><li>Alan MAC,</li><li>Scott Leslie MANN,</li><li>Paul Christopher MAYNARD,</li><li>Patrick Allen MCLOUGHLIN,</li><li>Stephen Anthony MCPARTLAND,</li><li>Mark Andrew MENZIES,</li><li>Johnny Luther MERCER,</li><li>Hugh William MERRIMAN,</li><li>Stephen James METCALFE,</li><li>Amanda Anne MILLING,</li><li>Nigel John MILLS,</li><li>Andrew John Bower MITCHELL,</li><li>Damien MOORE,</li><li>Nikola Ann MORGAN,</li><li>James George MORRIS,</li><li>David Gordon MUNDELL,</li><li>Cheryl MURRAY,</li><li>Andrew William MURRISON,</li><li>Robert James MacGillivray NEILL,</li><li>Sarah Louise NEWTON,</li><li>Alexander Jesse NORMAN,</li><li>Neil O'BRIEN,</li><li>Neil Quentin PARISH,</li><li>Mark Julian Francis PAWSEY,</li><li>John David PENROSE,</li><li>Christopher Ian Brian Mynott PHILP,</li><li>Rebecca Faye Clark POW,</li><li>Victoria Mary Boswell PRENTIS,</li><li>Mark Andrew PRITCHARD,</li><li>Thomas Christopher John PURSGLOVE,</li><li>Jeremy Mark QUIN,</li><li>William James QUINCE,</li><li>John Alan REDWOOD,</li><li>Lawrence Anthony ROBERTSON,</li><li>Mary Josephine ROBINSON,</li><li>Douglas Gordon ROSS,</li><li>Lee Benjamin ROWLEY,</li><li>David Henry RUTLEY,</li><li>Paul Stuart SCULLY,</li><li>Andrew Edmund Armstrong SELOUS,</li><li>Richard James SHANNON,</li><li>Alec Edward SHELBROOKE,</li><li>Christopher James SKIDMORE,</li><li>Chloe Rebecca SMITH,</li><li>Henry Edward SMITH,</li><li>Julian Richard SMITH,</li><li>Royston Matthew SMITH,</li><li>Arthur Nicholas Winston SOAMES,</li><li>Andrew George STEPHENSON,</li><li>Andrew John STEVENSON,</li><li>Robert Alexander STEWART,</li><li>Roderick James STEWART,</li><li>Gary Nicholas STREETER,</li><li>Melvin John STRIDE,</li><li>Graham Charles STUART,</li><li>Desmond Angus SWAYNE,</li><li>Robert Andrew Raymond SYMS,</li><li>Derek Gordon THOMAS,</li><li>Margaret Ann THROUP,</li><li>Kelly Jane TOLHURST,</li><li>Justin Paul TOMLINSON,</li><li>Michael James TOMLINSON,</li><li>Craig Paul TRACEY,</li><li>David Arthur Stephen TREDENNICK,</li><li>Shailesh Lackman VARA,</li><li>Martin John VICKERS,</li><li>Theresa Ann VILLERS,</li><li>Robin Caspar WALKER,</li><li>David John WARBURTON,</li><li>Matthew Robert WARMAN,</li><li>Helen Olivia Bicknell WHATELY,</li><li>Heather Kay WHEELER,</li><li>Craig WHITTAKER,</li><li>John Flasby Lawrance WHITTINGDALE,</li><li>William David WIGGIN,</li><li>Sarah WOLLASTON,</li><li>Mike John WOOD,</li><li>William Peter WRAGG,</li><li>Jeremy Paul WRIGHT.</li></ol></ol><h3>Labour MPs</h3><ol><li>Lindsay Harvey HOYLE, Speaker of the House of Commons,</li><li>Diane Julie ABBOTT,</li><li>Deborah Angela Elspeth Marie ABRAHAMS,</li><li>Michael Lee AMESBURY,</li><li>Antonia Louise ANTONIAZZI,</li><li>Jonathan Michael Graham ASHWORTH,</li><li>Margaret Mary BECKETT,</li><li>Clive James Charles BETTS,</li><li>Paul Christopher BLOMFIELD,</li><li>Kevin Denis BRENNAN,</li><li>Karen Patricia BUCK,</li><li>Richard BURGON,</li><li>Don Petula BUTLER,</li><li>Alan CAMPBELL,</li><li>Dan Joseph CARDEN,</li><li>Charalambos CHARALAMBOUS,</li><li>Vernon Rodney COAKER,</li><li>Neil Alan John COYLE,</li><li>Stella Judith CREASY,</li><li>Judith Mary Cummins,</li><li>Janet Jessica DABY,</li><li>Tarnmanjeet Singh DHESI,</li><li>Peter Christopher DOWD,</li><li>Rosie Clare DUFFIELD,</li><li>Chris Philip James ELMORE,</li><li>Victoria Jane FOXCROFT,</li><li>Barry Strachan GARDINER,</li><li>Ruth Stephanie Nicole GEORGE,</li><li>Preet Kaur GILL,</li><li>John Timothy GROGAN,</li><li>Louise HAIGH,</li><li>Fabian UZIELL-HAMILTON,</li><li>David George HANSON,</li><li>Carolin HARRIS,</li><li>Susan Mary HAYMAN,</li><li>John HEALEY,</li><li>Margaret Olivia HILLIER,</li><li>Sharon HODGSON,</li><li>George Edward HOWARTH,</li><li>Daniel Owen Woolgar JARVIS,</li><li>Darren Paul JONES,</li><li>Gerald JONES,</li><li>Mohammed Afzal KHAN,</li><li>Peter KYLE,</li><li>Ian LAVERY,</li><li>Emma Louise LEWELL-BUCK,</li><li>Anthony Joseph LLOYD,</li><li>Justin Piers Richard MADDERS,</li><li>Khalid MAHMOOD,</li><li>Rachel Helen MASKELL,</li><li>Christian MATHESON,</li><li>Kerry Gillian MCCARTHY,</li><li>Conor Patrick MCGINN,</li><li>James Ignatius O'Rourke MCMAHON,</li><li>James Ian MEARNS,</li><li>Stephen James MORGAN,</li><li>Ian MURRAY,</li><li>Alexander James Jordan NORRIS,</li><li>Stephanie Louise PEACOCK,</li><li>Luke POLLARD,</li><li>Eleanor Claire REEVES,</li><li>Matthew Richard Allen RODDA,</li><li>Lloyd Cameron RUSSELL-MOYLE,</li><li>Jeff SMITH,</li><li>Nicholas Desmond John SMITH,</li><li>Karin Marguerite SMYTH,</li><li>Alexander David SOBEL,</li><li>John Francis SPELLAR,</li><li>Mark Richard TAMI,</li><li>Gareth Richard THOMAS,</li><li>Stephen Creswell TIMMS,</li><li>Mary Elizabeth TWIST,</li><li>Alan Patrick Vincent WHITEHEAD,</li><li>Daniel Stephen ZEICHNER.</li></ol>

Russia sanctions almost 300 British MPs in retaliatory move, but its list includes several errors

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly failed to turn up for a television interview to defend the party's calamitous start to its general election campaign.</li><li>Sky News anchor Kay Burley "empty-chaired" Cleverly and said he was refusing to give an interview despite standing "fifteen feet" away in the studio.</li><li>She said she wanted to ask him about a number of damaging setbacks which have afflicted the party's election campaign.</li><li>These include a Cabinet minister's suggestion that more victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster might have survived if they had used 'common sense,' and a doctored video of Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer which misleadingly appeared to show him rendered speechless by a question on the party's Brexit policy.</li><li>Cleverly had earlier refused to apologise for the doctored video of Starmer and told ITV it had been edited to 'shorten' the video.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>LONDON - The chairman of the Conservative Party, James Cleverly, has been "empty-chaired" on live television by Sky News anchor Kay Burley after refusing to appear for a scheduled interview.Burley launched into a tirade against Cleverly and his party, saying that Downing Street had promised her multiple times that she would be speaking to a Conservative spokesperson but that he was now refusing to appear on her programme despite standing "15 feet away" in the studio."I've got an empty chair here," she said."It was supposed to be filled by the chairman of the Conservative party. Where is he? He's probably 15 feet away from where I'm standing just at the moment."I've been in to see him during the break - he said he wasn't due to come and talk to us today, although they had said that they would talk to us."Burley told viewers that she had wanted to ask Cleverly about a number of damaging setbacks which have already afflicted the Conservative party's election campaign.These include:<ul><li>Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg's <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-50302573">suggestion</a> that more victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster might have survived if they had used "common sense."</li><li>Mogg's colleague Andrew Bridgen <a href="https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/conservative-party/news/107819/andrew-bridgen-apologises-suggesting-jacob">defending his comments</a> by saying Mogg was cleverer than the victims.</li><li>A rape victim calling for the <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/alun-cairns-top-tory-faces-20822684">resignation of Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns.</a></li><li>Former Conservative Education Secretary Justine Greening saying she would <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/justine-greening-vote-tory-brois-johnson-brexit-heathrow-828526">struggle to vote for the party.</a></li></ul><h2>Watch: Conservative chairman James Cleverly refuse to appear on TV to defend campaign</h2>&#xa0;Burley said she also wanted to ask him about a doctored video of Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer which appeared to show him rendered speechless by a question on the party's Brexit policy, to which he gave a fluent answer.Cleverly had already given several interviews to other broadcasters on Wednesday morning when he failed to appear on Sky News.He refused to apologise for the doctored footage&#xa0;of Starmer and told ITV it had been edited to "shorten" the clip. In a separate interview with BBC's Today programme, Cleverly claimed it was simply "a light-hearted satirical video, and obviously so."He acknowledged that Rees-Mogg's Grenfell comments had "caused a huge amount of hurt and distress," adding: "He has apologised unreservedly and I do think that is the right thing for him to do."Boris Johnson will attempt to get his party's election campaign back on track on Wednesday after a very shaky start overshadowed the beginning of the election campaign.In a rally in the West Midlands, he will ask voters to give him a mandate to deliver Brexit by January and say that only by "getting Brexit done" can he focus on other priorities, such as the NHS and crime.Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/267178180471848/">here.</a><div></div>

The Conservative Party chairman was empty-chaired on live TV as criticism mounts over calamitous start to campaign

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Frank Augstein - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesConservative Party leadership candidate Boris Johnson and Alun Cairns, Secretary of State in Wales, pose for photos in front of the cafe featured in the comedy series Gavin and Stacey, as he visits Barry Island ahead of the Conservative party leadership hustings in Cardiff, on July 06,</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The Conservatives lead an "extraordinary" opinion poll in Wales.</li><li>Support for the party jumped by seven points after Boris Johnson became prime minister.</li><li>Meanwhile, Labour Party support in Wales was at its lowest ever level, the poll said.</li><li>Johnson has enjoyed a polling "bounce" since becoming prime minister last week.</li><li>He will spend Monday in Scotland, where polling shows he is disliked more than in any other part of the UK.</li></ul>Boris Johnson's Conservatives lead an "unprecedented" opinion poll in Wales days after he became prime minister, with support for the Labour Party plummeting to its lowest ever level in the country.A <a href="https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2019-07-29/boris-bounce-as-poll-puts-tories-ahead-in-wales-for-westminster-election/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Welsh Political Barometer Poll for ITV</a> puts the Conservatives up seven points, on 24%. Meanwhile, Labour is on 22%, the lowest share of a poll it has ever received in Wales.<ul><li>READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conservatives-surge-in-opinion-polls-after-prime-minister-johnson-victory-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conservatives have surged in opinion polls after Boris Johnson became prime minister</a></li><li>READ MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brexit-boris-johnson-government-to-spend-millions-on-no-deal-info-campaign-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The government to spend up to £10 million on TV ads and leaflets preparing Brits for a no-deal Brexit</a></li></ul>The poll - conducted immediately after Johnson became prime minister on Wednesday - followed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/conservatives-surge-in-opinion-polls-after-prime-minister-johnson-victory-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a series of others on Sunday</a> which indicated a bounce in Conservative support after the party's change in leader.A Deltapoll survey for the Mail on Sunday said that public support for the Tories had increased by ten points since Johnson replaced Theresa May as party leader and prime minister of the United Kingdom.<h2>Here's the Welsh poll:</h2>Conservative - 24% (+7)Labour - 22% (-3)Brexit Party - 18% (-5)Liberal Democrats - 16% (+4)Plaid Cymru - 15% (+2)Greens - 3% (-2)Others - 1% (-4)<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Getty</div></div></div>If these numbers were repeated at a general election, Labour would still have the most seats in Wales.However, it would be the first time they would not win a majority of seats there in over 100 years.The seat projection puts Labour on 18, the Conservatives on 16, Plaid Cymru on four, and the Lib Dems on two.Professor Roger Awan-Scully of Cardiff University said that the results were "extraordinary" because the combined intended vote share of the two main parties had collapsed compared to the last general election in 2017.In the 2017 election, Labour and Conservatives received over 80% of the vote in Wales."These are quite extraordinary results, in many respects almost wholly unprecedented," Awan-Scully said."Despite an apparent 'Boris bounce' for the Tories, worth seven percentage points, the poll shows the extent to which the dominance of the two largest parties has declined in recent months."This is the second Barometer in a row where the combined Labour and Conservative vote share is below 50%."The poll gives the Liberal Democrats their highest intended vote share since 2010.Johnson will on Monday travel to Scotland where he will promise an additional £300 million for the devolved nations.It follows a pledge last week to give £3.6 billion to deprived towns outside of London.Polls show that the new prime minister is more unpopular in Scotland than in any other part of the United Kingdom, and will need to improve his standing there if he is to form a majority at the next general election.Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/267178180471848/">here.</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/john-mccain-brain-cancer-diagnosis-defended-barack-obama-good-man-2008-election2017-7">When John McCain ran against Barack Obama, he went out of his way to defend him as a 'decent family man'. Watch the viral video.</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "alun cairns" and got 10 results

Qatar sought Conservative MP as chair of the Qatar APPG ahead of World Cup, sources claim

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Former UK Cabinet minister advised private equity firm on £1.3 billion project before taking job as consultant

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Conservative former minister hired by Singapore firm owning £500 million property empire leased to the UK government

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Cabinet minister Alun Cairns quits on the day of Boris Johnson's election campaign launch

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Former ministers and officials who break revolving door rules should be fined, watchdog chair says

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Minister hits out at Tory colleagues for continuing to do business with donor after he called her a security threat

Henry Dyer

Boris Johnson's Conservative Party is heavily bankrolled by the property sector, new figures show

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Russia sanctions almost 300 British MPs in retaliatory move, but its list includes several errors

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The Conservative Party chairman was empty-chaired on live TV as criticism mounts over calamitous start to campaign

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Boris Johnson's Conservatives top 'extraordinary' opinion poll in Wales as Labour support plummets to lowest ever level

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