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Tories demand investigation into Labour donor’s appointment to Civil Service job

24 Aug 2024 2 minute read
Chancellor Rachel Reeves. Photo Lucy North/PA Wire

The Prime Minister’s ethics adviser has been urged to investigate the Chancellor over the appointment of a Labour donor to a Civil Service job.

Ian Corfield, who has donated £20,000 to Labour politicians over the past decade including £5,000 to Rachel Reeves last year, was made a temporary director of investment at the Treasury last month after a stint as the party’s senior business adviser.

His appointment prompted outcry from Conservatives, with shadow Treasury minister Laura Trott saying there was a “clear conflict” between Ms Reeves receiving the donation and using an exception to Civil Service recruitment rules to appoint Mr Corfield.

In a letter to Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s independent ethics adviser, Ms Trott called for an investigation into the Chancellor for potentially breaching the Ministerial Code.

Scandal

She said: “I know you are committed to upholding the very highest standards in public life and will share my belief that the growing scandal of cronyism, linked to political donations, is injurious to those standards.”

Under the current rules, Sir Laurie requires the Prime Minister’s consent to open an investigation into a minister, but Sir Keir Starmer has previously said the ethics adviser should have the power to begin investigations on their own.

Sir Laurie is understood to have not yet received Ms Trott’s letter.

Mr Corfield’s appointment is one of several to have been criticised by the Conservatives, including others that have seen people linked to the party or Labour-supporting think tanks given roles in the politically impartial Civil Service.

On Saturday, The Times newspaper reported that Mr Corfield would now be working as an unpaid adviser to the Treasury, rather than as a salaried civil servant.

According to The Times, his position will remain temporary and he will help with arranging the new Government’s first international investment summit in October.

Ms Trott said the change to Mr Corfield’s position “only seeks to underline how serious this scandal is”.

She added: “The Chancellor must urgently and publicly answer the question: did she declare that Mr Corfield was a donor to the Treasury prior to his appointment to the senior Civil Service.”

The Treasury has been approached for comment.


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Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
3 months ago

The Fat Shanks Effect, the Grey and the Mandy, the Man from Cork, the Lady Pirate, all at the Court of the Crimson King and Queen…

Such a small sum, compared to Fat Shanks and Sunak, how cheap to buy are new New Labour, so malleable, so few morals…

Richard Davies
Richard Davies
3 months ago

Laura trott has some nerve to be complaining about “… growing scandal of cronyism, linked to political donations …”!

The levels of cronyism under the tories was astronomical so laura should climb down from her hypocritical soapbox and slither back under the rock where she belongs!

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
3 months ago
Reply to  Richard Davies

You said it. Even if there is something to see here, the one party which CANNOT afford to comment on it has piped up with the most sickening hypocrisy.

hdavies15
hdavies15
3 months ago

Seems like yet more evidence of Uniparty’s disregard and disrespect for any rules, ethics , procedures etc Blue Tories did it and now the Red Tories are off to a flying start. 5 more years of bent governance in front of us.

Jeff
Jeff
3 months ago

Labour, grrrrr. Outcries over the Tory cronyism were very few and far between when Murdoch and Co had it all locked down, still they drive the news cycle so now labour all grrrr. Is this the same Trott that got in a tiz over GDP on the radio whilst at the treasury and wanted disabled people to work from home or lose benefits? How is David Meller doing? Probably not so good now. Boris dropped a lot of chums into the HoL, not a lot piped up about them. How is Ben Elliot doing? Still doing the Russian holidays? Probably… Read more »

Nobby Tart
Nobby Tart
3 months ago

Dear Pot, Sincerely Kettle.

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