David Cameron given two weeks to hand over text messages to Rishi Sunak to Greensill lobbying probe

David Cameron has been asked to reveal text messages he sent to Chancellor Rishi Sunak to MPs amid a probe into his work for a now-collapsed finance firm.

The former Tory prime minister has been given two weeks to answer a series of questions about his role at Greensill Capital amid fury at its access to the heart of Government. 

As the fallout from the lobbying controversy continued it was also revealed that 13 senior civil servants have taken second jobs in the private sector. 

They include Jonson Cox, who is a non-executive director at two energy firms as well as chairman of water regulator Ofwat, and National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove, who is a director at a property firm, according to the Telegraph.

A series of investigations have been launched into the role Mr Cameron played in securing Whitehall access for Lex Greensill, whose firm Greensill Capital collapsed earlier this year, putting thousands of jobs at risk, particularly in the steel sector. 

The Commons Treasury Committee chairman Mel Stride wrote to the ex-PM and the Chancellor yesterday, calling for a full timeline of contacts that Treasury officials and ministers had with Mr Cameron and other Greensill representatives.

The senior Tory MP also asked Mr Cameron for the full texts that he sent the Chancellor, which the Treasury has not published, by May 6.

The former Tory prime minister has been given two weeks to answer a series of questions about his role at Greensill Capital amid fury at its access to the heart of Government.

A series of investigations have been launched into the role Mr Cameron played in securing Whitehall access for Lex Greensill (right). it emerged Mr Cameron sent text messages to the Chancellor (left) as he sought to gain access to Government-backed coronavirus loans.

It is one of the inquiries launched after it emerged Mr Cameron sent text messages to the Chancellor as he sought to gain access to Government-backed coronavirus loans for his employer Greensill.

The Prime Minister has asked lawyer Nigel Boardman to investigate after it emerged that former government procurement chief Bill Crothers worked as an adviser for Greensill Capital while in his Whitehall job.

Greensill, which collapsed in March, also employed Mr Cameron, who lobbied ministers on behalf of the firm. He was cleared of any rule breaking earlier this month. The cross-party panel of MPs also want to question Mr Greensill.

The Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority and UK Government Investments also faced questions in the probe into the failure of Greensill and its attempts to lobby the Government.

The Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee gave details of its investigation into the lobbying row, which will look at whether existing rules and penalties are tough enough.

The terms of reference published by the committee note the collapse of Greensill Capital and revelations about its relationship with ministers and Whitehall ‘have raised significant concerns about the propriety of governance in this country’ which ‘risks undermining public trust’.

Committee chairman William Wragg MP said: ‘We will look into whether the rules need tightening up and clarifying and we will make any necessary recommendations without fear or favour.’

The MPs will examine whether codes of conduct for ministers, special advisers and officials are effective, how conflicts of interest are managed and whether the business appointment rules are broad enough.

The committee will also examine how lobbying should be regulated and consider the issues around the use of consultants and contractors in government. 

The revelations of top jobs held by senior civil servants came after Britain’s top mandarin warned high-level Whitehall officials should not have second jobs because it threatens the ‘integrity and impartiality’ of the civil service.  

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, formerly private secretary to the Duke of Cambridge, last week ordered the heads of all government departments to search their ranks for civil servants taking money for a second job that could pose a potential conflict of interest.

In a letter sent to senior mandarins across the Whitehall establishment, he warned there must be ‘transparency and full and proper management of any outside interests’ among senior civil servants, and stressed that conflicts of interest are ‘not permitted’.

The findings of his investigation have yet to be revealed, but an analysis by the Telegraph discovered more than a dozen have outside interests. There is no suggestion any rules have been broken.