Steve Brine: Tory MP faces calls for probe into lobbying claims

Opposition parties are calling for Tory MP Steve Brine to be investigated over claims he lobbied the NHS on behalf of a recruitment firm.

Leaked messages from 2021 show he had been "trying for months" to contact health bosses on behalf of Remedium Partners, where he was a paid adviser.

The texts show the company wanted to supply the NHS with anaesthetists.

Mr Brine said he had been responding to a call from ministers to help the NHS during the Covid pandemic.

In a statement to the Telegraph, which published the messages, he added that he had been "responding in the national interest" during a "national crisis".

"Ultimately, it led nowhere let alone secure any business for Remedium," he added.

• What is lobbying? A brief guide

The texts are the latest release from more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages leaked to the newspaper by journalist Isabel Oakeshott. The messages have not been seen by the BBC.

In an exchange from 2 February 2021 published by the Telegraph, then Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove forwarded a message he said he had received from Mr Brine to Matt Hancock, the health secretary at the time.

In his message to Mr Gove, Mr Brine wrote: "Sorry to raise this but having tried the Dept of Health (seemed logical) and the Chief Exec of [NHS England] (ditto) I am at a loss."

"I have been trying for months to help the NHS through a company I am connected with - called 'Remedium'," he added.

"They have 50 anaesthetists right now who can be in the country and on the ground in the NHS if someone only said let's us help. They just want to assist and asked me how they might.

In the message, Mr Brine said that he had "had nothing," adding this was "despite the PM telling the [Commons] Liaison Committee this is his biggest problem".

"How might I progress this or does the NHS just not need the help?" he added.

Mr Hancock is shown responding to Mr Gove that Mr Brine hadn't texted him, before later replying: "This is already in hand. Thanks for pinging on."

Investigation calls

Mr Brine, the MP for Winchester, was a junior minister at the health department between June 2017 and March 2019. He currently chairs the Commons health select committee, a role he has held since November.

The parliamentary register of interests show he was paid £1,600 a month as a "strategic adviser" to Remedium Partners from July 2020. He held the role until December 2021, 10 months after his message to Mr Gove.

The rulebook for MPs says they should not lobby - try to influence - ministers on behalf of companies that are paying them.

Separately, the appointment rules for former ministers say they should not lobby the government within two years of leaving their ministerial post.

Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said the messages "suggest Steve Brine was desperate to help his corporate employers whilst the country was pulling together during a pandemic".

She said that Mr Brine should step down as chair of the health committee whilst an "independent investigation" takes place. "Frankly, the whole thing stinks," she added.

Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds said Mr Brine should face a "speedy and thorough investigation," standing down from his health committee role if required.

"If Steve Brine broke lobbying rules, then obviously he needs to face the consequences," she told broadcasters.

When approached by the BBC, the health department said it did not comment on leaks.

Mr Brine has previously been reprimanded by Acoba, the watchdog that oversees appointment rules, for inviting former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi to take part in an event in 2021 hosted by a different company, Sigma Pharmaceuticals, where he was a paid adviser.

Acoba also criticised him for failing to inform them he was taking up the role with Sigma until after it started, something he blamed on "poor admin on my part".