Rishi Sunak ‘pushed’ team to help David Cameron firm with Covid loan request

Rishi Sunak personally intervened after being contacted by David Cameron (Picture: Getty; Mercury Press)

Calls for an investigation have been made after documents revealed Rishi Sunak ‘pushed’ officials to consider plans that could have helped a firm David Cameron was lobbying for.

The Treasury released the Chancellor’s texts after a freedom of information request into efforts by the ex-Tory leader to contact ministers in search of millions of pounds of extra Covid rescue cash for Greensill Capital, who he was a paid adviser for.

Labour questioned whether the Chancellor had broken the ministerial code, while the SNP urged him to appear before Parliament next week to ‘set the record straight’ over his full exchanges with the former PM.

Mr Sunak said the former prime minister ‘reached out informally by telephone’ to him, as well as Economic Secretary John Glen and Financial Secretary Jesse Norman, over Covid support for finance company Greensill, which has since collapsed.

When the decision was finally taken not to proceed with the scheme Greensill was lobbying to be part of, Sunak personally phoned Cameront to break the news to him.

Last night Labour said the messages suggested Sunak may have broken the ministerial code and called for a ‘transparent and thorough investigation’.

The Treasury published two texts sent from Rishi Sunak to David Cameron

Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said: ‘They suggest that Greensill Capital got accelerated treatment and access to officials, and that the chancellor had pushed officials to consider Greensill’s requests.

‘The chancellor’s decision to open the door to Greensill Capital has put public money at risk.’

Greensill had approached Treasury officials regarding access to the Covid Corporate Finance Facility (CCFF), administered by the Bank of England.

Its proposal was to offer cheap loans backed by the BoE to help businesses pay suppliers promptly during the Covid-19 crisis, for which it would take a cut.

The correspondence reveals that Cameron first contacted Sunak about the proposal, which was eventually rejected, in April last year.

Mr Sunak published two text messages he sent to Mr Cameron in April 2020, although messages sent by Mr Cameron have been withheld by the Government.

Labour questioned if Mr Sunak breached the ministerial code (Picture: Getty)

The Treasury, responding to a Freedom of Information request, said: ‘These communications were made by David Cameron in his capacity as an employee of Greensill, and with an expectation of confidence.’

The first message from Mr Sunak to Mr Cameron, sent on April 3 2020, read: ‘Hi David, thanks for your message.

‘I am stuck back to back on calls but will try you later this evening and if gets too late, first thing tomorrow. Best, Rishi.’

The second message from Mr Sunak sent on April 23 said: ‘Hi David, apologies for the delay.

‘I think the proposals in the end did require a change to the market notice but I have pushed the team to explore an alternative with the Bank that might work.

‘No guarantees, but the Bank are currently looking at it and Charles should be in touch. Best, Rishi.’

Greensill filed for insolvency after the requests were rejected, putting at risk thousands of steelmaking jobs in the UK and rendering Mr Cameron’s reported tens of millions of share options worthless.

The Chancellor defended the decision to listen to the requests given the desire to help businesses survive the Covid-19 pandemic, before confirming Mr Cameron’s lobbying activities.

In a letter to MS Dodds accompanying the FOI release, Mr Sunak insisted the proper procedures were followed.

He then wrote: ‘I can confirm that David Cameron reached out informally by telephone to me, and to the Economic Secretary and the Financial Secretary, on the matter of Greensill Capital’s access to the CCFF.

‘The matter was referred to the relevant officials and, following appropriate consultations as outlined in the previous requests, the request was turned down.

‘During this process, this was communicated to Greensill Capital by officials and, in parallel, by me to David Cameron.’

Former Prime Minister David Cameron sparked a lobbying row over the personal messages (Picture: Getty)

Lex Greensill, who ran Greensill Capital (Picture: Mercury Press)

Ms Dodds said: ‘There must be a full, transparent and thorough investigation into the chain of events that saw Greensill awarded lucrative contracts, the freedom of Whitehall and the right to lend millions of pounds of Government-backed Covid loans.’

SNP Cabinet Office spokesman Stewart Hosie said Boris Johnson’s Government is ‘stumbling from one scandal to the next’, adding: ‘The latest developments around Greensill Capital and access to Government departments granted to firms with close links to the Tory party has only raised further questions.

‘Tory ministers and former prime ministers casually texting each other over Government access utterly reeks.

‘When MPs return from recess, Rishi Sunak must come before Parliament and set the record straight over his full exchange with David Cameron and what the outcome of those messages were.’

Mr Cameron has been exonerated by a watchdog over the issue.

The Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists concluded Mr Cameron was an employee of Greensill so was not required to declare himself on the register of consultant lobbyists.

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