David Cameron to be investigated by lobbying body

David Cameron is being investigated by a lobbying watchdog after reports he contacted government officials on behalf of financial services company Greensill Capital.

The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists said it was looking into whether he had done unregistered consultant lobbying.

A source close to Mr Cameron said he was exempt from the register as he had been an in-house employee.

The contact is said to have taken place after Mr Cameron was prime minister.

Greensill, which collapsed earlier this month, is a key backer of UK giant Liberty Steel.

• Labour seeks probe over Cameron Greensill lobbying

In the Commons on Thursday, Labour MP Rupa Huq said Mr Cameron had been "bending the ear of the now chancellor although he wasn't on the lobbying register".

Another Labour MP, Geraint Davies, called on the Business Committee to launch an investigation into Mr Cameron's actions.

But Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said he rejected Labour's claims.

"Officials often meet with a range of businesses affected by policy changes, that's part of policy development, but it's always done with proper and due consideration," he added.

Last week, Labour called for an investigation into the claims Mr Cameron met Treasury officials to lobby on behalf of Greensill, a role he took up after leaving the job of prime minister.

The Financial Times reported that Mr Cameron tried to increase the specialist bank's access to government-backed Covid-19 emergency loan schemes.

The Treasury said it had had a meeting but decided not to take things further.

Lobbying register

The office which runs the lobbying register was set up following the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014, when Mr Cameron was prime minister.

An organisation should join the register if it conducts the business of consultant lobbying.

Mr Cameron criticised the role of lobbyists while campaigning to become PM in 2010. He said at that time that "secret corporate lobbying" was undermining public confidence in the political system.

Greensill Capital is the main financial backer of Liberty Steel, which employs 5,000 people in steel plants around the country, and its collapse has sparked grave concerns about the future of their jobs.

Liberty owns 12 steel plants in the UK, including at Rotherham, Motherwell and Newport.

Mr Cameron became an adviser to Greensill in 2018.