-
Business card puts Greensill founder at the heart of Downing Street

Lex Greensill described as ‘Senior Adviser, Prime Minister’s Office’, adding to pressure on David Cameron over links to failed financier
Labour has renewed its calls for a full investigation into David Cameron’s role in the collapse of the Greensill finance empire after a business card emerged that appeared to confirm its founder, Lex Greensill, had a role at the heart of Downing Street.
The card, handed to Labour by a business contact who said they received it in 2012, describes Greensill as “Senior Adviser, Prime Minister’s Office”, and gives a personal No 10 email address at which he could be contacted.
A source close to Greensill confirmed the card was genuine, saying it dated from a period when the Australian banker held the title senior adviser, a position to which they said he was appointed by the civil service.
This was before 2014 when he was made a “crown representative”, a post meant to help the government identify ways to save money, and which also includes management consultants and other corporate experts.
Cameron has come under mounting pressure to explain why Greensill was allowed to become an unpaid adviser to government – a role in which he was reportedly allowed to pitch his financial projects across Whitehall.
Subsequently, Cameron took on an advocacy role for Greensill Capital, urging the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, in text messages last year to include Greensill in the Treasury’s Covid rescue schemes.
The shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, said: “This raises further serious questions about the special access Lex Greensill was granted to the heart of government. The public have a right to know what happened here – we need a full, transparent and thorough investigation.”
Greensill Capital collapsed into administration earlier this month. Cameron was cleared last week by watchdog the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists on the grounds that as an employee of the firm his behaviour did not formally constitute lobbying; but fresh questions have continued to emerge about the relationship between the two men.
The Financial Times has reported that Greensill was brought into Downing Street by the then cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood, who had come across the financier during a stint at City bank Morgan Stanley, where Greensill worked before setting up on his own.
Cameron’s government launched a supply-chain finance initiative that allowed banks to play a go-between role between Whitehall and local pharmacies.
Greensill’s business card, which appeared to confirm his closeness to Cameron and access to No 10, emerged as Sunak was accused of breaking the ministerial code for failing to declare Cameron’s approaches.
Tom Brake, a former Liberal Democrat MP who helped design the lobbying register while he was deputy leader of the House of Commons, said the law required the chancellor to publicly declare any unplanned discussions with lobbyists such as Cameron, who joined Greensill as an adviser in 2018.
The code says that ministers who end up meeting and discussing official business without another official present, “for example at a social occasion or on holiday”, should pass any “significant content” back to the department as soon as possible afterward. Any unplanned discussions will then be published in a report of ministers’ external meetings, which is released four times a year.
Brake’s accusations rest on an interpretation that texts conversations are covered by the code. The fact that Greensill was not listed on the formal register of ministerial meetings meant that Sunak did not follow the rules as they were intended, the former MP has claimed.
“The ministerial code is clear. Attempts to lobby Rishi Sunak, even an informal one such as receiving multiple text messages, a) must be reported back by Mr Sunak to the Treasury; and b) the contact must then be formally reported in Mr Sunak’s quarterly report of ministerial meetings,” Brake, who now works for campaign group Unlock Democracy, said.
“It is not clear whether the first happened. The second did not. This is a significant breach by the chancellor of the ministerial code and the transparency rules,” Brake said.The ballooning scandal surrounding Greensill hit Whitehall after it emerged that Cameron had contacted the chancellor on his private phone last April while working as an adviser for the firm. At the time, Greensill was trying to secure access to hundreds of thousands of pounds of emergency Covid loans it did not qualify for.
Granting Greensill access to the 100% government-backed Covid corporate financing facility (CCFF) would have meant bending the rules, since lenders are not meant to borrow money through the programme.
However, it is understood that most of Cameron’s texts went unanswered and that Sunak later directed him to speak to Treasury officials, who denied Greensill access to the CCFF. The bank was allowed to issue loans to its customers under a scheme run by the state’s British Business Bank, which were 80% guaranteed by the taxpayer.
“The chancellor’s silence on the Greensill affair is deafening,” the shadow City minister, Pat McFadden, said.
“It’s time he came forward and set the record straight on what role he played in opening the door to Greensill and to explain what his department is doing to investigate this affair. He needs to set the record straight.”
A spokesperson for the Treasury said: “Senior officials and ministers routinely meet with a range of private sector stakeholders and the government received many representations from the entire spectrum of British business during the pandemic.
“The company was directed to the appropriate officials and, following a consultation process involving several firms in the same sector, their request was denied.”
Cameron’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
source: Heather Stewart
Levant
You May Also Like
Popular Posts
Caricature
BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
opinion
Report
ads
Newsletter
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates!