Whitehall Associates, a lobbying firm founded in 2019, has in the past two years hired three former Cabinet ministers as senior advisers. All three left government within the past three years. All three are subject to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments rules, which require former ministers to seek approval before taking up roles that might involve contact with their former departments. All three received approval.
The firm's client list, which it does not publish but which we have established through company filings, parliamentary records and sources, includes a major energy company with interests in the government's offshore wind licensing round, a pharmaceutical company seeking approval for a new drug under the NHS's accelerated access scheme, and a property developer with planning applications pending before two local authorities whose planning policies are subject to the new Housing and Planning Reform Bill.
None of this is illegal. The revolving door between government and the lobbying industry is a well-documented feature of British political life. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments process exists precisely to manage the conflicts of interest that arise when former ministers take up private sector roles. Its critics argue that it is too permissive and that its decisions are rarely refused.
We asked Whitehall Associates to confirm its client list and to describe the nature of the work its former-minister advisers undertake. A spokesperson said: "We operate in full compliance with all applicable rules and regulations. We do not comment on client relationships." We asked the three former ministers whether they had had any contact with their former departments on behalf of Whitehall Associates clients. None responded.