Thread by @PeterKGeoghegan

Shanker Singham’s consultancy spent $20,000 on Washington lobbyists pushing for a US-UK free trade deal.

MPs raise concerns about conflicts of interest w/Singham is in line for slice of £200m govt contract.

Latest @openDemocracy scoop w/ @marcusleroux

opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-…

Int'l trade secretary Liz Truss appointed Singham to a key UK government commission on trade and agriculture - while he was continuing to work for undisclosed private clients.

"These relationships should be known and not hidden" says @AngusMacNeilSNP

Transparency docs show that Competere - Singham's private firm - paid $20k to Transnational Strategy Group, a Washington DC-based lobbying firm who helped broker a series of meetings in Washington for Singham and former Northern Irish first minister David Trimble.

Among those Singham and Trimble met in DC were congressman Richard Neal, head of the influential Ways and Means Committee that would greenlight a post-Brexit trade deal.

Neal - like Joe Biden - has warned that any post-Brexit trade deal would depend on Good Friday Agreement.

Singham said that his trip to Washington was a “pro-bono mission” paid for out of his own pocket. But David Trimble said he understood the trip to have been paid for by “some conservatives”, though he was unsure of the exact source of the money.

“Competere is not a lobbyist but a trade consultancy,” Singham said.

Accounts showed his firm owed £66,313 in corporation tax for last financial year, suggesting earnings of around £350,000.

Singham is also reported in line for a £200m Brexit contract theguardian.com/politics/2020/…

Singham was appointed by Liz Truss personally to Brexit trade and agriculture commission in July. He resigned from a similar role at DIT in 2018 after openDemocracy reported that he was also working for a commercial lobbying firm... opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-…

Absolutely great to work with @marcusleroux and @Source_Mat on this. If you don't follow their work, you really should!