Lord Cameron must reveals links to Chinese port project, says Labour

Lord Cameron must reveal the extent of his links to a Chinese-backed enterprise, ministers have been told.

Labour has questioned reports of the Foreign Secretary’s links to a Sri Lankan port development and its ties with the Chinese government.

MP also continued to question the Tory peer’s role in the Greensill affair, in which he privately lobbied ministers in an attempt to win access for the now-collapsed, financial firm to an emergency coronavirus loan scheme.

Labour shadow Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden asked who the “ultimate client” was for Lord Cameron’s “role in promoting the Port City Colombo project in Sri Lanka”, and if it was a company owned by the Chinese state.

Cabinet Office minister John Glen replied: “This isn’t a matter for me. This is a matter for the processes that I have set out which have been complied with.

“And I believe Lord Cameron has made some comments with respect to those matters.”

Mr McFadden has written to the Prime Minister to probe him about Lord Cameron’s appointment, following reporting in the Guardian newspaper that HMRC officials are examining whether he failed to fully disclose all taxable perks while he worked for Greensill Capital between 2018 and 2021.

In the Commons, the Labour frontbencher asked “whether all benefits in kind received by the Foreign Secretary while he acted as a lobbyist for Greensill Capital have been properly declared”, and whether the former prime minister’s tax affairs were examined and considered by the House of Lords appointments commission before his peerage was approved.

The Labour frontbencher added: “If not, will the Government now investigate this to see if all such matters, including any use of offshore trusts, were properly declared and taken into account before this appointment was made?”

Cabinet Office minister Mr Glen responded: “I’m not going to comment on media speculation … Lord Cameron’s appointment followed all the established processes for both peerages and ministerial appointments.

“The ennoblement was approved by the House of Lords appointments commission in the usual way, and that included a check with HMRC.”

But ministers continued to face pressure from the Opposition over Lord Cameron’s past career.

Labour former minister, Siobhain McDonagh, told the Commons: “He has been working for a Chinese state enterprise that was sanctioned by the US Government and blacklisted for bribery by the World Bank.

“The Foreign (Secretary) was paid by the Chinese company to promote building a port in Sri Lanka, who have themselves been accused of war crimes, and where tens of thousands of disappeared people have still not been found since the end of the civil war in 2009.

“Would the minister agree with me that the British people have a right to know when their Foreign Secretary has been employed by the Chinese Government?”

Mr Glen responded: “I don’t recognise her characterisation of the Foreign Secretary’s employment history.

“But what I would say to her is that there is a thorough process in place through the ministerial code process where the independent adviser publishes statements on ministers’ relevant interests.”

He added: “Work is under way on the next list to include the relevant interests of newly appointed ministers … the Government’s position on China remains unchanged, we believe in engaging directly and robustly in the UK national interest.”

Labour MP Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) said: “There is a perception that Lord Cameron was part of Greensill’s inner circle. Has the independent adviser assessed whether he was considered a shadow director during his time at Greensill?”

Mr Glen replied: “The Foreign Secretary has accounted for his conduct in relation to Greensill Capital.

“And there have been independent reviews by the registrar of consultant lobbyists and the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) confirmed that no rules were broken.

“And his ennoblement was also approved by the House of Lords appointment commission.”