Foreign Secretary David Cameron is facing fresh embarrassment over his links to the disgraced financier Lex Greensill.
The former prime minister was a close adviser to Greensill, whose finance firm collapsed in 2021, unleashing a major lobbying scandal.
MPs said Cameron – while out of office – showed ‘a significant lack of judgment’ in trying to secure access to taxpayer-backed Covid loan schemes for Greensill Capital.
The Government’s Insolvency Service (IS) last month announced it was seeking to ban Greensill as a director.
Greensill is counter-suing the Department for Business and Trade, which oversees the IS, over how the investigation has been run, and for alleged misuse of private information. His claim has now been made public.
Probe: Foreign Secretary David Cameron was a close adviser to Lex Greensill (pictured together), whose finance firm collapsed in 2021, unleashing a major lobbying scandal
Greensill alleges details were leaked in 2023 – days after Cameron made a surprise return to the Government as Foreign Secretary, leading to renewed scrutiny of his work for Greensill.
The leak was ‘for improper political reasons’ to show the Government was ‘taking action’ over the demise of Greensill even as Cameron came back, court papers claim.
The financier says an IS official tipped off papers that he faced a ban as a company director, even though the Government only decided last month to press ahead with disqualification proceedings. It is not thought to be pursuing anyone else.
The papers say Cameron’s appointment coincided with the alleged leak, leading to renewed criticism of his lobbying.
‘As such, there was an obvious incentive for the Government to be seen to be taking action’ against Greensill ‘whilst also not taking action against any other director’, the claim says, adding: ‘The wrongful disclosures were made for improper political reasons.’
The claim also alleges that Greensill’s ‘private and confidential information’ was misused when an IS press officer –identified as ‘X’ – contacted The Times about the plan to ban the businessman four months before it was confirmed.
The employee was dismissed from the IS following an internal investigation into the leak, the filing states.
Greensill’s lawyers say their efforts to identify ‘X’ have been hampered because his laptop has been ‘wiped’ and his work mobile ‘lost’.
The collapse of Greensill Capital led to criminal investigations that continue in the UK, Germany and Switzerland.
Cameron’s conduct is not thought to be the subject of those investigations. He has said he acted in good faith at all times and denied wrongdoing.
Greensill worked in 10 Downing Street when Cameron was prime minister and had a privileged relationship with officials as he built his supply-chain business. He received a CBE in 2017 ‘for services to the economy’.
Greensill is suing the Department for Business and Trade for aggravated damages.
The IS said: ‘As this is an ongoing legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment.’
A spokesman for Greensill declined to comment. A spokesman for Lord Cameron was contacted for comment.
