Category Archives: Greensill

UK Insolvency Service seeks up to 15-year director ban for Lex Greensill

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Government agency issues disqualification proceedings after inquiry into failed finance firm Greensill Capital

The Insolvency Service has begun legal action to have Lex Greensill disqualified from running companies for up to 15 years after the outcome of an investigation into the directors of his failed finance firm.

The government agency said it had issued disqualification proceedings on behalf of the business secretary against the former Australian sugar farmer, who founded the Greensill group of companies.

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What is the Greensill scandal overshadowing David Cameron’s return to cabinet?

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Inquiry found ex-PM had sent dozens of messages to former colleagues asking them to help his then employer

David Cameron’s surprise return to the cabinet as foreign secretary comes just two years after a parliamentary inquiry found he had shown a “significant lack of judgment” over a lobbying campaign for a bank in which he held a personal economic interest.

The former prime minister launched the intensive round of text messages to ministers and high-ranking civil servants at the height of the Covid pandemic on behalf of Greensill Capital, which collapsed the following year.

Nine WhatsApp messages to the then chancellor, Rishi Sunak.

Two WhatsApp messages to Richard Sharp, then adviser to Sunak.

Twelve texts to Sir Tom Scholar, the then permanent secretary to the Treasury.

A dozen texts, emails, phone calls and other messages to the ministers Michael Gove, Matt Hancock, Nadhim Zahawi, John Glen and Jesse Norman.

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Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance fails to get winding-up order thrown out

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Credit Suisse, one of Gupta’s main creditors, started insolvency hearings against GFG companies last month

Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance has failed in an attempt to have a winding-up order thrown out on the grounds that the metals group’s struggles were caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Credit Suisse, one of Gupta’s main creditors, started insolvency hearings against GFG companies last month, in a move that raised concerns for the jobs of 35,000 workers in the UK and in operations around the world. US bank Citibank has brought the claim on behalf of Credit Suisse, its client.

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Lex Greensill given ‘extraordinarily privileged’ government access, inquiry finds

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Report also says government’s process for managing lobbying is insufficiently transparent

The businessman Lex Greensill was given “extraordinarily privileged” access to government while the government’s process for managing lobbying is insufficiently transparent and allows access to a “privileged few”, a report into the Greensill lobbying scandal commissioned by the prime minister has concluded.

The former prime minister David Cameron and the late cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood have been criticised in the 141-page review drawn up by the City solicitor Nigel Boardman.

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Greensill lobbying leaves your reputation in tatters, Cameron told

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MPs grill former prime minister for four hours about his text message and WhatsApp campaign

David Cameron was on Thursday told that his persistent lobbying of ministers, begging for favours on behalf of the controversial bank he worked for, had “demeaned” the position of the prime minister and left his “reputation in tatters”.

The former PM was forced to deny that his text message and WhatsApp lobbying campaign on behalf of Greensill Capital was driven by fears that an “opportunity to make a large amount of money was at risk”.

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David Cameron kept pushing Bank and Treasury to risk £20bn to help Greensill

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Former prime minister sent string of emails to Bank officials and argued firm should be a priority for Treasury funding

David Cameron repeatedly pushed the Bank of England and the Treasury to risk up to £20bn in taxpayer cash to help Greensill Capital, just as the lender started to face “significant” financial pressure at the start of the pandemic.

The UK’s central bank was urged to provide support to Greensill, including by setting up a fund that would buy loans made by the financial services company and its competitors, in a string of emails to senior officials.

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MPs urge Cameron to make public Greensill lobbying texts to Sunak

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Former prime minister told to release full texts he sent to chancellor at start of the pandemic

An influential group of MPs has ordered David Cameron to release texts he sent to the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, as part of a parliamentary inquiry into the Greensill lobbying scandal.

The Conservative-dominated Treasury select committee wrote to key figures in the scandal on Monday, asking for evidence that will help piece together the true impact of Cameron’s efforts to ensure the lender had access to emergency Covid loans and NHS staff records.

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Greensill: Keir Starmer says there is ‘open door’ between Boris Johnson’s government and lobbyists – live

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Prime minister questioned on controversy over Greensill’s influence within government with links to David Cameron and a senior civil servant

Hi there, this is Rhi Storer taking over from Yohannes Lowe this afternoon. Please feel free to send me any contributions to rhi.storer@guardian.co.uk or alternatively you can contact me on Twitter.

Here is video of Vicky Foxcroft’s (Lab) question about sign language at PMQs (see earlier post):

Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft asks a question in sign language

"If the prime minister doesn't understand, why does he still not have sign language at his press briefings?"

Boris Johnson replies “I’m grateful… and will revert to her as soon as I can”#PMQs https://t.co/cNTSzLDCHF pic.twitter.com/zh2nFXn8Yd

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