Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Rishi Sunak and David Cameron texts released in Greensill lobbying row

THE release of text messages between Rishi Sunak and David Cameron has put the chancellor in a spot, where he is accused of trying to facilitate Greensill Capital to gain access to emergency Covid loans.

The text messages shows Sunak telling Cameron that he has told his team to see if it can be done.


Cameron, the former prime minister, an adviser and shareholder in the now-collapsed Greensill, has remained silent on the issue.

According the the Treasury, Cameron also "informally" phoned two other ministers from the department, and reports suggest he too sent multiple texts to Sunak's personal phone.

The text messages from Sunak in April to the former prime minister released after a freedom of information request, could have broken ministerial rules and called for a full investigation.

The messages show how Cameron lobbied for the finance firm to qualify for the government-backed loans, and the chancellor's responses. Two text responses of Sunak to Cameron from April 3 and April 23 were released.

First one promising a response: “Hi David, thanks for your message. I am stuck back to back on calls but will try you later this evening and if gets too late, first thing tomorrow. Best, Rishi.”

In the second text, Sunak explained that he hoped to find a way for Greensill.

“Hi David, apologies for the delay. I think the proposals in the end did require a change to the Market Notice but I have pushed the team to explore an alternative with the Bank that might work,” Sunak wrote. “No guarantees, but the Bank are currently looking at it and Charles should be in touch. Best, Rishi.”

Here “Charles” is understood to be Charles Roxburgh, the second most senior civil servant in the Treasury.

Documents released under freedom of information rules showed that day after Sunak's second text, Roxburgh contacted Greensill. But in June the company was told it did not qualify, with Greensill collapsing in March this year. The collapse has put 5,000 jobs at risk at UK steelmaker Liberty Steel, which it had financially backed.

Earlier, Cameron was exempted of any investigation by a watchdog, nonetheless his role for lobbying ministers has come under criticism.

Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor said, the texts “raise very serious questions about whether the chancellor may have broken the ministerial code”.

In a statement released by the Treasury, Sunak has said: “It is right that as an institution the Treasury engages with stakeholders and considers policy suggestions that are put to us, especially in an unprecedented crisis. In this instance, it became clear through officials’ discussions with Greensill that their proposal was not workable and would not deliver sufficiently for UK SMEs. And I stand by my decision to reject their request.”

More For You

Hasmukh Shah

The certificate was presented to Shah at the Welsh parliament by Anita Bailey, Home Office Director Windrush Unit.

Hasmukh Shah receives UK minister’s certificate of appreciation

A prominent Asian doctor has been recognised for his services to the community. Prof Hasmukh Shah has received a certificate of appreciation for his contribution and services to the United Kingdom.

The certificate was issued by Seema Malhotra MP, UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship, as part of the Windrush Cymru Elders and Race Council Cymru’s Windrush work in Wales.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dalai-Lama-Getty

Dalai Lama looks on as offerings presented by Buddhist followers are laid on a table during a Long Life Prayer offering ceremony at the Main Tibetan Temple in McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, India, on June 30, 2025.(Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

India says Dalai Lama alone can decide successor

A SENIOR Indian minister has said that only the Dalai Lama and the organisation he has established have the authority to decide his successor as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The comment runs contrary to China’s long-standing position on the matter.

The Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule, said on Wednesday that after his death he would be reincarnated as the next spiritual leader, and that only the Gaden Phodrang Trust would be able to identify his successor. He had earlier said that the next Dalai Lama would be born outside China.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan’s ‘killer mountain’ claims Czech climber’s life

FILE PHOTO: Foreign tourists and their guides trek down from Nanga Parbat base camp. (Photo by AMELIE HERENSTEIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan’s ‘killer mountain’ claims Czech climber’s life

A CZECH mountaineer fell to her death on the world's ninth-highest peak, Pakistan officials said Friday (4), becoming the first casualty of the summer climbing season in the country.

Klara Kolouchova, 46, the first Czech woman to summit the world's two highest mountains, died on Thursday (3) after falling on the lower slopes of Nanga Parbat.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mamdani’s win over Cuomo reshapes NYC political landscape

Zohran Mamdani addresses supporters in Queens, New York City

Mamdani’s win over Cuomo reshapes NYC political landscape

INDIAN AMERICAN lawmaker Zohran Kwame Mamdani last week clinched the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City, defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo in what is being described as one of the most unexpected results in recent city political history.

Mamdani, 33, a state assemblyman representing Queens and a self-declared democratic socialist, stands on the brink of becoming New York’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk home office

The PAC said the Home Office relies on airline passenger records to track departures but has not reviewed this data since 2020. (Photo: iStock)

iStock

MPs say Home Office unaware if foreign workers leave UK after visas expire

THE HOME OFFICE does not know whether foreign workers are leaving the UK or staying on illegally after their visas expire, according to a cross-party group of MPs.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which oversees government spending, said the department has not analysed exit check data since the skilled worker visa was introduced in 2020, the BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less