Tory ‘cash for questions' MP suspended from government role
Downing Street said on Monday that George Freeman had been 'asked to step back' from his role as a trade envoy to Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Brunei.
Mr Freeman reported himself to the parliamentary standards watchdog after it was alleged at the weekend that he asked questions of Labour ministers on behalf of a company that has paid him.
The Sunday Times published leaked emails that allegedly showed Mr Freeman asking the director of GHGSat, an environmental monitoring company, 'what to ask about'.
He also allegedly asked the firm to help him 'get the wording right' and said he would convert the queries into 'parliamentary language'.
The former Tory science minister was paid £5,000 a month by GHGSat between April 2024 and March this year.
Previous government employees are usually banned from lobbying the Government for a specified period after leaving office, while MPs are not allowed to take payments from companies to table questions in the Commons.
At the time he took the advisory role, Mr Freeman was told by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) not to lobby the Government on behalf of GHGSat.
Self-referral to standards watchdog
The MP referred himself to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner after the allegations were made public, and said he did not believe he had done anything 'inappropriate'.
A No 10 spokesman said: 'Parliamentary standards are a matter for the House and the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.
'And you can see the individual has referred himself to that process.
'While that investigation takes place, it is right he has been asked to step back from the role, and he has been suspended in representing the UK as a trade envoy until that process has been concluded.'
Trade envoys are the lowest rank of government office for MPs, and are unpaid. Their role is to travel to the countries in their brief to drum up investment in the UK.
Mr Freeman was appointed to the role in February this year. He could face sanctions including a suspension from the Commons if the standards commissioner finds he has broken the rules.
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