UK's Johnson says he shares concerns on Greensill lobbying

[April 14, 2021]  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he shared the concern over lobbying after one of this predecessors, David Cameron, has been criticised for using his contacts to press the case for failed finance firm Greensill Capital.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks outside Downing Street, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in London, Britain, April 14, 2021. REUTERS/John Sibley

"I indeed share the widespread concern about some of the stuff that we're reading at the moment ... and I know that the Cabinet Secretary shares my concern as well," Johnson told parliament, saying top civil servants should have experience of the private sector but it was not clear that "those boundaries have been properly understood".

On Tuesday, the ties between government and Greensill were illustrated when Cabinet Office said a former procurement chief was allowed to take a part-time role advising the company's board in 2015 while employed as a public official, or civil servant.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, writing by Elizabeth Piper)

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.