The former environment secretary George Eustice has been told to ask permission from the post-government jobs watchdog every time his new consultancy firm takes on a client to avoid giving them unfair access to his former department.
The senior Conservative MP, who is standing down at the next election, was given permission by the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) to set up a company to advise businesses on farming technology and the water sector.
However, the watchdog warned that there was a “significant risk” that clients could “be considered to gain” from his insight of government and “inherent risks” that the former minister could give them “unfair access” to government.
As a result, Eustice will have to abide by conditions. He was told: “You must seek advice in relation to each client, so that risks can be assessed and it will need to be demonstrated by you and Defra that the work would be appropriate under the rules”.
However, Acoba concluded that it would “not be improper” for Eustice, who was sacked by Liz Truss in her cabinet reshuffle last September, to set up a consultancy drawing on experience gained from his time as a minister and previously in the agri-food industry.
Although he had been a Defra minister for more than nine years, including two as environment secretary under Boris Johnson, he has already been out of office for 11 months and there have been two prime ministers, and accompanying policy changes, since his tenure.
The former minister, who announced in January that he was leaving politics, told Acoba that he had gained much of his technical knowledge before joining government – from his time as a farmer and also as an MP on environment committee – and would not take work that involved direct contact with ministers or officials.
However, in a letter published on the Acoba website, the watchdog’s chair, Lord Pickles, told him: “Despite these mitigating factors, there remain risks around your privileged insight and influence could be seen to offer an unfair advantage to future clients.
“Given your role as the minister responsible for the UK’s policy in the areas you wish to work in, there are also inherent risks that you could offer your clients unfair access to government, or make use of contacts you gained in office but outside government to gain business for your consultancy.”
He added: “You will have had oversight of a wide range of information, policy, and made decisions that may provide an unfair advantage to a broad range of organisations.
“The committee considered there is a significant risk that your clients, particularly those in the agri-food industry, water and waste sectors, may be considered to gain from your privileged insight and decisions made in office that are unavailable to its competitors.”
Eustice announced in January that he was standing down as the MP for Camborne and Redruth after 15 years in parliament as he wanted to have another career outside politics. He is one of a number of high-profile Tories, including the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, who have said they will not run at the next election.
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