A former Tory minister has referred himself to the parliamentary watchdog following allegations he was paid by a company that helped him write questions to government.
George Freeman, the MP for Norfolk, is reported by The Times to have submitted queries to Labour ministers about the sector the firm operates in.
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The newspaper published what it said were leaked emails that showed exchanges in which Mr Freeman had asked the company’s director what to ask about as he prepared written parliamentary questions related to space data and emissions tracking.
Written parliamentary questions can be tabled by any MP and are a common way of requesting more information from a minister in a certain department.
Mr Freeman, who reportedly tabled the questions to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, became a paid adviser with GHGSat, a monitoring service for greenhouse gas emissions, in April last year.
The appointments watchdog Acoba advised him that in taking up the role, “there are risks associated with your influence and network of contacts gained whilst in ministerial office”.
“In particular, this is a company that is interested in government policy and decisions relating to the civil space sector and emissions,” the watchdog said.
“You noted you have made it clear to the company that you will not lobby government on its behalf, and this will not form part of your role.”
In a statement, Mr Freeman said he did not believe he had done “anything wrong” but that he was referring himself to the standards commissioner.
“As a longstanding advocate of important new technologies, companies and industries, working cross-party through APPGs and the select committee, I regularly ask experts for clarification on technical points and terminology, and deeply respect and try to assiduously follow the code of conduct for…
