David Cameron has been urged to “come out of hiding” and explain his links with a scandal-hit banker amid mounting calls for an inquiry.
Keir Starmer stepped up pressure on the Tory former Prime Minister to answer questions over his dealings with Australian financier Lex Greensill while in No10 and after.
Labour has written to Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to demand answers to a string of questions after it emerged that Mr Greensill was an unpaid adviser during Mr Cameron’s premiership and was granted access to Government departments.
A business card, verified by sources close to Greensill, said he was a “senior adviser” to the Prime Minister’s office and included a No10 email address and landline number.
The letter asks why the role was not made public at the time and how much his firm Greensill Capital earned from a scheme to speed up payments to pharmacies.
It is understood that Mr Greensill’s No10 role was clearly stated on his firm’s website.
Labour also raised questions about the decision to accredit Greensill Capital to the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, allowing it to make state-backed loans of up to £50million at a time during the pandemic.
Mr Cameron, who became an adviser to Greensill in 2018 after leaving Downing Street, reportedly sent texts to Chancellor Rishi Sunak ’s private phone to plead for financial support for the firm during the pandemic.
The company went bust in March after its application for support was rejected.
Its collapse leaves thousands of steel workers facing uncertainty as Greensill was a major backer for Liberty Steel, which employs 5,000 people in the UK.
“Every day this gets more murky and cronyism is the only real word now for what we’re seeing. I think in light of the latest developments, it’s time for that inquiry,” Mr Starmer told reporters during a visit to Leeds.
“I think the Cabinet Secretary needs to look at this again in the round and I also think it’s time for David Cameron to come out of hiding and start answering some questions.”
Mr Cameron has been silent on all the allegations, despite repeated approaches to his office for comment.
Senior Tories distanced themselves from the growing row, with Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick warning that former ministers need to be “very careful” how they behave.
He would not comment on Mr Cameron’s activities but said it was normal for ministers to bring in unpaid advisers like Mr Greensill.
Mr Sunak said it was important for people to follow the rules “whether they’re prime ministers or anyone else”.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “We will respond to the letter in due course.”
