The public should “respect” that millionaire David Cameron is facing a “difficult time”, a Tory minister has said.
The former Prime Minister yesterday refused to say how much he stood to gain from his employment with collapsed financier Greensill Capital - but boasted it was more than he would have earned in Number 10.
He answered questions from MPs on two select committees yesterday about his work for Greensill - and his lobbying of officials and ministers, asking them to help the doomed firm stay afloat using public money.
And he admitted that from time to time he had enjoyed the use of the firm’s private jet to whisk him away to his Cornwall holiday home.
But today, Tory minister Nadhim Zahawi said it was a “painful period” for his former boss - and that the public should “respect” that.
“I think clearly this was a painful period for him and as he said yesterday it cannot be easy for a Prime Minister to go through this,” he said.
“It's a difficult time for him and I think we should respect that as well.”
Mr Cameron’s private company - the Office of David Cameron - last filed its accounts publicly in January 2020.
They revealed that as of April 2019 the firm - which is supported with a publicly funded grant - had £873,821 in net assets.
As well as his lucrative position at Greensill, he has raked in cash for speaking gigs - charging as much as £120,000 an hour.
And his book deal was worth a reported £800,000.
The website The Richest estimates Mr Cameron’s net worth at around £35.5 million.
Meanwhile, figures show roughly 2.5 million people used a food bank in 2020/21, more than 600 thousand more than the previous year.
Mr Zahawi added: "I think David Cameron did the right thing to come before two select committees yesterday, and to be open and transparent about his dealings with Government, with ministers."
