18 hours ago
Ex-Tory minister suspended over ‘cash for questions' row
Dear oh dear. Mr S reported on Saturday that former Conservative science minister George Freeman was under scrutiny over Sunday Times reports about his £60,000-a-year adviser gig to GHGSat Limited. Now it transpires that the Tory MP for Mid Norfolk has been suspended from his role as government trade envoy after the allegations he was paid by the eco-innovators to reportedly submit parliamentary questions about the sector the firm operates in.
As revealed by the Sunday broadsheet, leaked emails showed Freeman asking the director of the environment monitoring firm GHGSat Limited 'what to ask about'. Submitting tailored queries to ministers about the sector could have handed the company a commercial advantage – and would break multiple rules in the MPs' code of conduct. After being approached, Freeman immediately referred himself to the parliamentary commissioner for standards – after first insisting he did not believe he had done anything wrong.
And now the allegations are taking a toll on his work. Downing Street said his role as trade envoy for Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei had been 'suspended', while a spokesperson added:
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.
It's not good news for the Tory party, which has already seen Patrick Spencer lose the whip over sexual assault charges. The party's dwindling numbers are at risk of dropping even more…
