Pickles on civil servants with private sector roles

The chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, Lord Pickles, has said that "there doesn't seem to have been any boundaries at all” for senior civil servants also holding commercial roles.

Speaking at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs committee, Lord Pickles said part of the problem was that it had “not been clear where the boundaries lay”.

The former Conservative MP, who now heads the watchdog advising politicians and top civil servants when they take up jobs in the private sector, said the system needs urgent reform.