No need for City minister to recuse herself over past lobbying, No10 says
There is no need for new City minister Emma Reynolds to recuse herself from any duties because of her lobbying past, Downing Street has said.
The Wycombe MP has taken over the Treasury minister role from Tulip Siddiq, who stepped down over allegations linked to her aunt’s political movement in Bangladesh.
Questions had been raised about whether Reynolds would recuse herself from matters involving China in her role as City minister after she reportedly lobbied on behalf of Chinese businesses in a previous job.
She was managing director of trade lobbying firm TheCityUK until May.
“The requisite discussions have now been held with the minister, in consultation with the permanent secretary, and it has been determined there is no need for any recusal, nor any changes to her portfolio,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.
“A former job is not an ongoing financial interest. The minister has confirmed that she stepped down from her previous role on becoming an MP and entering government.
“More broadly, as per the ministerial code, any relevant interests have been duly declared and managed appropriately.”
While at TheCityUK, Reynolds was involved in a campaign to persuade the then-government not to impose tougher rules on those doing business with China, Bloomberg has reported.
When MPs become ministers, they must provide the most senior civil servant in their department with a full written declaration of private interests that could give rise to an actual or perceived conflict of interest.
Reynolds’ appointment has also raised questions about the broader issue of ex-ministers taking up lobbying roles and vice versa.
As opposition leader, Sir Keir Starmer pledged there would be “no more revolving doors between government and the companies they regulate” under Labour.
Put to No10 that the Prime Minister may be seen by the public to be doing the same as the previous government – which he criticised them for – the spokesman said Sir Keir had “taken action to follow through on his commitment to uphold and improve standards for public life”.
Former ministers are not allowed to lobby the government for two years after they leave their posts.
Asked if Sir Keir had considered introducing a rule that would go the other way and introduce a minimum time for former lobbyists to wait before becoming ministers, No 10 referred to the existing process.
“We haven’t got any plans to strengthen those beyond what we have already introduced to strengthen the ministerial code,” the spokesman said.
Press Association – Helen Corbett