A former ethics adviser to Boris Johnson broke the rules in the House of Lords by “assisting an outside organisation in influencing” government officials at the Ministry of Defence, a watchdog has ruled.
A report from the Lords Commissioner for Standards said Lord Geidt – who advised the former prime minister between April 2021 until he quit in June 2022 – gave introductory remarks at a meeting in May 2021 between the officials and Theia Group Inc, which employed him as an adviser.
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Despite claims from the peer that his only role had been to make sure the firm’s contact with the department “were conducted properly” and that he had been hired to advise them due to his previous experience, rather than his seat in the Lords, the commissioner said he had gone against a rule stopping peers providing “parliamentary services” in return for payment.
Lord Geidt appealed against the decision, but it was dismissed by the Lords Conduct Committee, which said while they accepted the peer “sought at all times to behave honourably and to comply with the rules”, he had still broken them.
The committee said the breach was “an oversight” and limited to a one-off meeting, and as such gave Lord Geidt the most minor of sanctions available – recommending his write a letter of apology to the chair of the committee.
However, a source familiar with the matter said they were “mystified” by the decision, adding: “The lack of clarity about what constitutes parliamentary services is concerning.”
A spokesperson for Lord Geidt said: “The report acknowledges that Lord Geidt acted…
