David Cameron on Greensill Capital

David Cameron became an adviser to Greensill Capital in 2018, holding shares in the company after his time as Prime Minister, which generated significant personal wealth for him. The controversy escalated when it emerged that in 2020, he lobbied senior government figures, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to secure Greensill's inclusion in the Covid Corporate Financing Facility, a government-backed loan scheme, a request that was ultimately declined. Investigations by various bodies, including the Cabinet Office and the House of Commons Treasury Committee, concluded that while he did not break existing lobbying rules, his conduct demonstrated a significant lack of judgment regarding the nature of his relationship with the firm and his use of informal communication channels to lobby former colleagues.

The focus of subsequent scrutiny included the perceived weakness of the UK's lobbying regulations, as Cameron's employment by Greensill did not require formal registration under the rules in place at the time. The Treasury Committee noted that the ex-Prime Minister should have been encouraged toward more formal communication methods from the outset. Furthermore, Cameron's activities at Greensill Capital have remained a 'matter of interest' in a wider Serious Fraud Office investigation into the now-defunct firm and its links to the GFG Alliance, which Greensill financially supported.