Latest news with #MidNorfolk
Sky News
2 days ago
- Business
- Sky News
Ex-Tory minister George Freeman suspended as trade envoy over 'cash for questions' claims
A former Conservative minister has been "asked to step back" from his role as a trade envoy following claims a company he was being paid by helped him write questions of claims to government departments. George Freeman was previously listed as a trade envoy for Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Brunei, but Downing Street said the role had now been "suspended". The MP for Mid-Norfolk since 2010 referred himself to the parliamentary watchdog following claims he was paid by a company that helped him write questions to government departments. The Times newspaper reported he submitted queries to Labour ministers about the sector the firm operates in, and he referred himself over the matter. A Number 10 spokesman said: "Parliamentary standards are a matter for the House and the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. "While that investigation takes place, it is right he has been asked to step back from the role, and he has been suspended in representing the UK as a trade envoy until that process has been concluded." Alleged leaked emails were published by The Times that showed Mr Freeman asking the company's director what to ask about as he prepared written parliamentary questions related to space data and emissions tracking. The MP is said to have tabled the questions to ask for more information on policies and activities of government departments to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Mr Freeman, minister for science, research and innovation under Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, became a paid adviser with GHGSat, a greenhouse gas emissions monitoring service, in April last year. In a statement over the weekend, when he referred himself to the watchdog, Mr Freeman said he did not believe he had done "anything wrong" but that he was referring himself to the standards commissioner. "As a longstanding advocate of important new technologies, companies and industries, working cross-party through APPGs and the select committee, I regularly ask experts for clarification on technical points and terminology, and deeply respect and try to assiduously follow the code of conduct for MPs and the need to act always in the public interest," he said. "Throughout my 15 years in parliament (and government) I have always understood the need to be transparent in the work I have done for and with commercial clients and charities and am always willing to answer any criticism. "I don't believe I have done anything wrong but I am immediately referring myself to the parliamentary commissioner for standards and will accept his judgment in due course."
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
MP refers himself to commissioner over 'cash for questions' claims
A Conservative MP has referred himself to the standards commissioner after it was claimed a company that he worked for helped him write questions to Freeman asked the director at environmental monitoring company GHGSat "what to ask about" when submitting questions about the sector the firm operates in, the Sunday Times was previously advised by a government committee not to lobby the government on behalf of the firm due to his previous role as science Mid Norfolk MP said in a statement to the BBC that he doesn't believe he did anything wrong, while his party said it would be "inappropriate" to comment while inquiries were ongoing. The Sunday Times reported that Freeman asked the company's director what to ask about as he prepared written parliamentary questions to Labour ministers related to space data and emissions another email, he allegedly asked if the company could help him "get the wording right", which he could then "convert into parliamentary language". Freeman served as science minister under both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, and now sits on the science, innovation and technology took up the advisor role at GHGSat in April 2024, with the MP's register of interests stating he received a monthly salary of £5,000 for eight hours work per month, before leaving the role in March this he notified appointments watchdog Acoba about the role, it advised him there were "risks associated with your influence and network of contacts gained whilst in ministerial office".The watchdog said the company "is interested in government policy and decisions relating to the civil space sector and emissions".It said Freeman "should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government" on behalf of GHGSat, and that "you noted you have made it clear to the company that you will not lobby government on its behalf, and this will not form part of your role". 'Willing to answer criticism' Freeman told the BBC that through his roles in Westminster he would "regularly ask experts for clarification on technical points and terminology", and said he was "very concerned at the targeted and unauthorised and access to my emails" which he said he had raised with police."Throughout my 15 years in parliament [and government] I have always understood the need to be transparent in the work I have done for and with commercial clients and charities and am always willing to answer any criticism," he said."I don't believe I have done anything wrong but I am immediately referring myself to the parliamentary commissioner for standards and will accept his judgment in due course."The Liberal Democrats and Labour have called for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch to suspend Freeman while he is under Whately, the Tory shadow work and pensions secretary, was asked on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme whether Freeman should lose the Tory whip, to which she said she was "shocked" by the allegations in the Times' she added she "can't comment any more while the parliamentary commissioner is looking into it".
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Calls for Tories to strip the whip from ex-minister George Freeman over 'cash for questions' row
Kemi Badenoch is facing calls to strip the Tory whip from an MP who is alleged to have been paid by a company that helped him write questions to the Government. George Freeman, the Mid Norfolk MP and a former science minister, is reported to have submitted queries to Labour ministers about the sector the firm operates in. According to his register of interests, Mr Freeman was paid £60,000 between April last year to March this year to be an adviser to GHGSat Limited. The firm uses satellites and aircraft sensors to measure greenhouse gas emissions directly from industrial sites. The Sunday Times published what is said were leaked emails that suggested Mr Freeman submitted questions to the Government with the help of the firm's boss. He is said to have asked the company's managing director what to ask about as he prepared written parliamentary questions related to space data and emissions tracking. Mr Freeman reportedly tabled the question to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The appointments watchdog Acoba previously advised the Tory MP that in taking up the role with GHGSat, 'there are risks associated with your influence and network of contacts gained whilst in ministerial office'. 'In particular, this is a company that is interested in government policy and decisions relating to the civil space sector and emissions,' Acoba added. 'You noted you have made it clear to the company that you will not lobby government on its behalf, and this will not form part of your role.' Mr Freeman told the newspaper: 'As a longstanding advocate of important new technologies, companies and industries, working cross-party through APPGs (All-Party Parliamentary Groups) and the select committee, I regularly ask experts for clarification on technical points and terminology, and deeply respect and try to assiduously follow the code of conduct for MPs and the need to act always in the public interest. 'Throughout my 15 years in Parliament (and government), I have always understood the need to be transparent in the work I have done for and with commercial clients and charities and am always willing to answer any criticism. 'I don't believe I have done anything wrong but I am immediately referring myself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and will accept his judgment in due course.' A Conservative Party spokesperson said: 'George Freeman MP has referred himself to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. 'It would be inappropriate for the Conservative Party to comment further whilst the Commissioner's inquiries are ongoing.' But the Liberal Democrats and Labour both called for Mrs Badenoch, the Conservative leader, to suspend him. A Labour spokesperson said: 'Cash for questions was a hallmark of Tory sleaze in the 1990s, and three decades on the same issue has raised its head again. 'George Freeman has referred himself for investigation so now Kemi Badenoch must suspend him from the Tory whip.' Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: 'This looks like the same old sleaze and scandal people have come to expect from the Conservative Party. 'Kemi Badenoch should immediately suspend the whip from George Freeman while this is investigated. 'Failure to act would confirm that even after being booted out of government, the Conservatives are still hopelessly out of touch.' Mr Freeman is currently on the science, innovation and technology committee and a trade envoy. He was responsible for the UK space agency in his previous role as a minister in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology under former PM Rishi Sunak. A spokesman for GHGSat said: 'GHGSat retained George Freeman MP for a brief period to help GHGSat understand and navigate the geopolitical environment in the UK and Europe. 'GHGSat signed a services agreement with Mr Freeman that did not include any lobbying activities and was concluded on the basis of the terms laid out by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba). 'GHGSat takes all applicable laws and regulations concerning lobbying extremely seriously.'
Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Times
‘Tell me what to ask about' — MP faces cash for questions claims
A former Conservative minister allowed a company that paid him £60,000 a year to effectively write several of his parliamentary questions, leaked emails have revealed. George Freeman submitted queries to Labour ministers about the sector the firm operates in, potentially handing the company a commercial advantage. He also asked a director at the environmental monitoring company to tell him 'what to ask about', in exchanges that may have breached ethics rules and are likely to see Freeman accused of taking 'cash for questions'. In one exchange, he asked if they could help him 'get the wording right', which he could then 'convert into parliamentary language'. In some examples, the phrases used by the company's director are copied word for word by Freeman in his submitted questions to ministers. The Mid Norfolk MP is also alleged to have held virtual business meetings using his office in Portcullis House. An email appears to show that in one of these meetings he discussed various business objectives with the firm. Freeman, 57, who was first elected as an MP in 2010, resigned as science minister from Rishi Sunak's government in November 2023. He later complained he could not afford to pay his £2,000 a month mortgage on a ministerial salary of £118,300. In April last year, he began acting as a paid adviser to GHGSat Limited, which uses satellites and aircraft sensors to measure greenhouse gases, including methane, from industrial sites and helps businesses monitor and reduce their emissions. Freeman appears to have broken multiple rules set out in the MPs' code of conduct, including lobbying on behalf of a private company he was paid by and using the parliamentary estate for his private business interests. He also appears to have failed to follow the advice issued to him by the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba), the watchdog that regulates the private sector roles ex-ministers and civil servants can take up after leaving office. Approached on Saturday, Freeman said that, while he did not believe he had done anything wrong, he was immediately referring himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, the watchdog responsible for policing MPs' conduct. As science and space minister, Freeman was heavily involved in the sector that GHGSat operates in, although he does not appear to have dealt with the firm while in office or presided over policies, regulation or commercial decisions that would have benefited it. He is now a member of the Commons science and technology committee, as well as a UK trade envoy. The company paid him £5,000 a month for eight hours of work between April last year and March this year. Leaked emails suggest that, while on the payroll, he tabled written parliamentary questions to government departments with the help of the managing director, Dan Wicks. Written parliamentary questions are seen as a vital tool for MPs, allowing them to seek data or information not in the public domain, or press the government to take action. They are only supposed to be tabled as part of their parliamentary duties and not their private business interests. At 11.35am on November 27 last year, Freeman emailed Wicks to notify him that 'following our latest catch up I'm preparing some written parliamentary questions to table on the DSIT [Department for Science and Technology] space data and Desnz [Department for Energy Security and Net Zero] emissions tracking platforms. 'So that I get the wording right can you email me the key technical terms / names of the projects / frameworks and what to ask about & I'll then convert into the right parliamentary language.' At 4.29pm, Wicks replied that Freeman should ask questions of the DSIT to better understand whether it would continue 'investment in national space data activities'. He then listed three specific areas he could ask about. The first was to ask the DSIT whether it would continue to invest in 'the Earth observation Data Pilot run by the Geospatial Commission and whether that will be extended or grown into a pan-government purchasing mechanism'. This was a government-run pilot launched in 2023, when Freeman was still science minister, which was testing ways public bodies could access satellite data to better inform 'analysis in key policy areas, including land use, environmental monitoring and emergency response'. Wicks's second proposal was for Freeman to ask the DSIT whether it planned to 'continue funding the Earth observation data hub as a tool for public sector to access and make use of different Earth observation data'. This was another programme funded by the DSIT, and uses a mix of public and paid-for commercial space data to inform decision making within government, businesses and academia. On GHGSat's website, it stated it supplies data to the hub. Outlining his third proposed question, Wicks added: 'And of course, the Methane programme run by UK Space Agency that makes use of GHGSat data.' Freeman was responsible for the UK Space Agency when he was a minister. He also suggested Freeman ask the agency's chief executive about his recent commitment to 'prioritise 'supporting development of methane emissions measurement best-practices'.' Wicks then suggested Freeman submit a separate question to Ed Miliband's Desnz department to work out whether it would 'start integrating more GHG [greenhouse gas] measurement data' into its methodology for calculating emissions which he said would build on 'investments such as Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measurement and Modelling Advancement (Gemma) to explore the added value of satellite data.' All of the proposals set out in Wicks's email appear to be aimed at obtaining information from ministers that would be beneficial to GHGSat: The following day, at 12.51pm, Freeman emailed a member of his parliamentary staff and asked them to submit questions to ministers via the clerks who formally process written questions on behalf of MPs. He asked his staffer to tick 'any 'interest declaration' box if there is one' — a process which flags that an MP has asked a question that relates to one of their publicly registered interests. While this was done, it was not disclosed that the company had shaped his questions. Freeman then listed five questions for DSIT, all of which draw on the proposals Wicks had made the day before: Freeman also requested three questions be submitted to Desnz and a final question be tabled to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: A search of the parliament's website shows eight of these questions were formally tabled by Freeman over several days in December last year, with ministers responding several weeks later to each of them. The MPs' code of conduct makes clear that 'taking payment in return for advocating a particular matter in the House is strictly forbidden'. It adds that they may not speak in the Commons, vote or initiate parliamentary proceedings, or make approaches to ministers in return for payment — and must not initiate proceedings which would provide financial or material benefit to an organisation or individual from whom they have received financial reward. It also prohibits MPs from pursuing interests which are 'wholly personal', 'such as may arise from a profession or occupation outside the House'. Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government think tank, who previously served as secretary to the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said: 'Commons rules are intended to prevent any public perception that 'outside individuals or organisations' might pay an MP in order to benefit from their actions in Parliament. The evidence suggests there are clear questions to answer about whether these rules have been breached.' The Sunday Times has also seen extracts from Freeman's online work calendar showing he had regular meetings with GHGSat and Wicks via Zoom calls from at least July last year until March this year. One, on October 22 between 4.45pm and 5.45pm, listed Freeman as the organiser and the location as 'PCH', short for parliament's Portcullis House, where Freeman's parliamentary office is based. It is alleged by a source that he held several meetings with businesses that are listed on his register of interests using his parliamentary computer. In an email attached to this meeting, Wicks asked Freeman whether he would be able to meet with him and GHGSat's president, Stéphane Germain, 'in person next week' and that they should schedule 'regular' 30-minute catch-ups twice a week. Wicks then outlined priorities they had 'discussed on the call', one of which was 'UK Gov engagement', and another 'engagement strategies with senior officials'. The MPs' code of conduct states that 'excepting modest and reasonable personal use, members must ensure that the use of facilities and services provided to them by parliament, including an office, is in support of their parliamentary activities, and is in accordance with all relevant rules'. When Freeman took up his adviser role with GHGSat, he also received advice from Acoba, the appointments watchdog. It noted that 'there are risks associated with your influence and network of contacts gained whilst in ministerial office', adding: 'In particular, this is a company that is interested in government policy and decisions relating to the civil space sector and emissions.' According to Acoba, Freeman had assured the watchdog that he had 'made it clear to the company that you will not lobby government on its behalf, and this will not form part of your role.' It imposed conditions on the appointment, including a two-year ban on him being 'personally involved in lobbying the UK government or any of its arm's length bodies on behalf of GHGSat Ltd'. Freeman said: 'As a longstanding advocate of important new technologies, companies and industries, working cross-party through APPGs [All-Party Parliamentary Groups] and the select committee, I regularly ask experts for clarification on technical points and terminology, and deeply respect and try to assiduously follow the code of conduct for MPs and the need to act always in the public interest. 'Throughout my 15 years in parliament (and government) I have always understood the need to be transparent in the work I have done for and with commercial clients and charities and am always willing to answer any criticism. I don't believe I have done anything wrong but I am immediately referring myself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards and will accept his judgment in due course.' A spokesman for GHGSat said: 'GHGSat retained George Freeman MP for a brief period to help GHGSat understand and navigate the geopolitical environment in the UK and Europe. GHGSat signed a services agreement with Mr Freeman that did not include any lobbying activities and was concluded on the basis of the terms laid out by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. GHGSat takes all applicable laws and regulations concerning lobbying extremely seriously.'
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
How will Norfolk's MPs vote on assisted dying?
MPs in Norfolk are split on whether to change the law on assisted dying, with two reversing their previous a bill on the proposed change will receive what is known as its third reading – where MPs will decide to either throw it out or pass it on to the House of Freeman and Rupert Lowe, who voted in favour last year, said they were now against the law of Norfolk's other MPs told the BBC they remained supportive, two were still against, whilst another was undecided. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow adults with less than six months to live to receive medical assistance to November last year it passed its first major vote in the Commons, backed with a majority of 55 MPs from a range of then, a number of members have changed their minds. Those include Mid-Norfolk Conservative Freeman, who said he was unhappy a requirement for a High Court judge to approve assisted dying applications was removed from the said he still "supported the aims of the bill", but felt more time should be used to consider it."The sanctity of life and the ethical responsibilities we hold as lawmakers demand a much more cautious approach," he Yarmouth's Independent MP Lowe said his view had changed for similar previous vote in favour had come after asking constituents to take part in an online said he was now "frankly disgusted" the proposed law change had not received "a proper debate and consultation". Norwich North's Labour MP Alice MacDonald and North West Norfolk Conservative James Wild both said they planned to continue supporting the did Waveney Valley's Green, Adrian Ramsay, although he said he was "still listening" to the wider Clive Lewis, the Norwich South MP, said he expected to vote in favour but would "make a final decision based on all the amendments".And North Norfolk Liberal Democrat Steff Aquarone said he firmly believed "people with just a few months left to live should have the right to decide how, when and where they die". Conservative Jerome Mayhew – who represents Fakenham and Broadland – voted against the bill in November and plans to do the same South Norfolk MP Ben Goldsborough also remains said it was unclear if the NHS would be funded to provide assisted dying, alongside concerns that a growing number of people are struggling to access palliative care."We risk creating a system where the most vulnerable feel pressured to choose it, not because it's what they want, but because it's what's available."South West Norfolk's Labour MP Terry Jermy – who previously backed the bill – said he had yet to decide how he would vote. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
