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3 Nov, 20 tweets, 8 min read
In the short time (26 weeks) that we’ve been #KeepingTheReceipts, we’ve recorded 18 instances of MPs or public servants being accused of involvement in lobbying. 🧵
In our first week, Priti Patel was revealed to have lobbied Michael Gove on behalf of a healthcare firm, Pharmaceuticals Direct Ltd, over a £20 million contract for surgical masks:
The same week, Tory peer Eddie Lister apologised for failing to disclose that he was still being paid as an adviser by a firm that received a £187m loan with taxpayer money:
mirror.co.uk/news/politics/…
Once again in week 1, Matt Hancock was found to have “personally intervened” to help a former Tory minister, Brooks Newmark, secure a £180m PPE contract:
The second week of #KeepingTheReceipts came the news that civil servant Tom Scholar had deleted text messages between him and David Cameron after “entering the wrong phone password”:
In week 10, UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden endorsed telecoms firm IX Wireless, who gave over £20,000 to Conservative MPs between Jan and July 2021:
Tory co-chair Ben Elliot faced scrutiny in week 13 from Labour, after it emerged that a PR firm he co-founded lobbied the government on behalf of Amigo, Huawei, and health firm Iceni Diagnostics:
Week 14 it was reported that former Chancellor Philip Hammond was under investigation by the UK lobbying watchdog over an email written to senior government officials on behalf of OakNorth bank:
The same week, Ben Elliot faced further questions from the opposition over claims he was lobbied by Bahraini and Saudi diplomats in relation to a Conservative Middle Eastern group set up by a client of his concierge company, Quintessentially:
Once again in week 14, Nadhim Zahawi declined to explain the content of messages concerning Greensill between himself and David Cameron:
It was later revealed that Greensill paid David Cameron a salary of more than $1 million per year:
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick was under the spotlight, week 17, for failing to disclose a meeting set up by a Conservative lobby firm, breaching transparency rules:
And the following week Priti Patel was once again accused of breaking the ministerial code, for her part in a secret meeting with her friend, billionaire Surinder Arora and British Airways:
Week 19 it was revealed that the new UK housing secretary, Michael Gove, had received £120,000 from property developers in 2021 alone:
Former Tory PM David Cameron then faced a watchdog probe for the second time this year for failing to register as a consultant lobbyist, after lobbying on behalf of Illumina:
Then began the current scandal involving Owen Paterson:
Directly followed by news that Tory MP and former energy minister John Hayes, noted for calling for delays on climate action, had banked £150k from an oil firm:
The same week, COP26 president Alok Sharma was revealed to have received funding from a billionaire linked to ExxonMobil:
We end (for now) with today’s updates surrounding #OwenPaterson on @allthecitizens:
For the full #Cronyism list since day one of #KeepingTheReceipts, feel free to browse below, or subscribe to our substack where you can also catch our weekly newsletter:

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

keepingthereceipts.substack.com

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More from @receiptkeepers

keepingthereceipts Profile picture
17 Sep
#KeepingTheReceipts Week 19 has been as eventful as any other with the cabinet reshuffle, contentious legislation being pushed through at an alarming rate, and a steady stream of reporting on lobbying, donors, and a decline in living standards. THREAD:
1. Further talks over privatising Channel 4 led to increased speculation that the move to pull it out of public ownership amounts to an attack on independent public service broadcasting:
2. The Health & Social Care Bill, accused of enabling further outsourcing of health services and paid for with a £12bn hike in National Insurance, entered committee stage on Tuesday:
Read 14 tweets
keepingthereceipts Profile picture
5 Sep
While Parliament is in recess you could be forgiven for thinking that the news cycle would have slowed down, but sadly this isn’t so.

As #KeepingTheReceipts week 17 draws to a close, we take a look at the latest on Afghanistan, cash-for-honours, and changes to UK law. THREAD:
1. On Monday it was revealed that Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick breached government transparency rules by failing to disclose a meeting with the Conservative lobbying forum:
2. Meanwhile, Dominic Raab faced a grilling from MPs over his luxury holiday to Crete and handling of the crisis in Afghanistan:
Read 14 tweets
keepingthereceipts Profile picture
15 Aug
As #KeepingTheReceipts week 14 draws to a close, the long-term ramifications of Brexit and cuts to public services, including the NHS, continue to be felt across the UK, and MPs and Lords face renewed scrutiny over their financial dealings. THREAD:
1. The week kicked off with former PM David Cameron once again taking centre stage, after it emerged that he pocketed $10m before finance company Greensill’s collapse, with his spokesperson calling his remuneration a “private matter”
2. Hard-right lobby group, the Institute of Economic Affairs, lost a court battle over it being described as such following a conversation between @PeterKGeoghegan and LBC presenter @mrjamesob, focusing on their opaque funding.
Read 16 tweets
keepingthereceipts Profile picture
31 Jul
Our #KeepingTheReceipts Week 12 is almost over, and centre stage for much of it yet again is the Home Office, as revelations surrounding detention, policing, and the rights of asylum seekers threaten to further impact the most vulnerable in society:
1. Returning to changes to the Official Secrets Act, on Monday further reports covered the potential 14 year sentences for journalists citing “unauthorised disclosures’, with fears of the UK heading towards becoming an ‘authoritarian police state’
2. The same day, FOI requests uncovered evidence of 52 prisoners in close supervision units being kept in conditions that a UN human rights expert said “may amount to torture”
Read 15 tweets
keepingthereceipts Profile picture
16 Jul
As we conclude #KeepingTheReceipts week 10, cronyism once more takes centre stage after days of new revelations uncovering VIP contracts, donors/political allies elevated to key positions and the Tories pushing through plans to accelerate #NHS privatisation.

Let’s dive in:
1. On Monday Sue Gray, a key witness who played a major role in granting Greensill Capital formal access to Whitehall, was blocked from giving evidence to the PACAC by the Cabinet Office and Michael Gove
2. The same day, it emerged that Cameron had taken a salary of more than $1m a year for just 25 days work, more than $40,000 per day
Read 14 tweets
keepingthereceipts Profile picture
9 Jul
It’s been a huge week, and not just for football fans.

In the last 7 days, drastic legislative changes have been brought forward, the unrelenting cronyism at the heart of government continues to be exposed, and cuts threaten thousands of those most at risk.

Let’s recap:
1: The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was passed with a majority of 100, attacking the freedom to peaceful protest, targeting traveller communities and homeless people, and rejecting statutory minimum sentences for rape.
2: The very next day the Home Office published the equally draconian Nationality and Borders Bill, criminalising asylum seekers who enter the UK “irregularly” and those that aid them. It also includes proposals for removing people to “offshore centres”
Read 12 tweets

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