Isabel Oakeshott hangs up on Times Radio during heated interview

Isabel Oakeshott, TalkTV’s international editor, broke a non-disclosure agreement to leak thousands of messages sent by Hancock, which she had access to through co-writing his book, the Pandemic Diaries.

Oakeshott clashed with Cathy Newman on Friday during a Times Radio interview, in which Newman questioned Oakeshott on her decision to work with the Telegraph on the story, rather than her colleagues at TalkTV or affiliated papers the Times, the Sunday Times and the Sun.

Newman had asked whether it was fair that “producers and reporters on a fraction of your salary were having to kind of put up with your sloppy seconds, and follow up on the story in a rival newspaper”, making reference to her £250,000 salary.
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The interview ended when Oakeshott hung up halfway through a question about her protection of her sources.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/mar/04/isabel-oakeshott-hangs-up-on-times-radio-during-heated-interview

Leaked messages from 2021 show he had been "trying for months" to contact health bosses on behalf of Remedium Partners, where he was a paid adviser.
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In his message to Mr Gove, Mr Brine wrote: "Sorry to raise this but having tried the Dept of Health (seemed logical) and the Chief Exec of [NHS England] (ditto) I am at a loss."
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Mr Brine, the MP for Winchester, was a junior minister at the health department between June 2017 and March 2019. He currently chairs the Commons health select committee, a role he has held since November.

The parliamentary register of interests show he was paid £1,600 a month as a "strategic adviser" to Remedium Partners from July 2020. He held the role until December 2021, 10 months after his message to Mr Gove.

The rulebook for MPs says they should not lobby - try to influence - ministers on behalf of companies that are paying them.

Separately, the appointment rules for former ministers say they should not lobby the government within two years of leaving their ministerial post.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64900403

The former chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, and former health secretary, Matt Hancock, agreed to work for £10,000 a day to further the interests of a fake South Korean firm after apparently being duped by the campaign group Led by Donkeys.

Kwarteng attended a preliminary meeting at his parliamentary office and agreed in principle to be paid the daily rate after saying he did not require a “king’s ransom”. When Hancock was asked his daily rate, he responded: “It’s 10,000 sterling.”

Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, also attended an online meeting for the fake foreign firm from his parliamentary office. When asked about the limits on arranging meetings, he made clear he could not advocate on behalf of the interest but said he may be able to advise the firm on who to approach in government. He said a rate of about £6,000 a day “feels about right” and any payments would be on a public register.

The purported firm that approached the politicians did not exist and had a rudimentary foreign website with fake testimonials. MPs have been warned by the Home Office to be on their guard against the “threat of foreign interference”, and the group’s investigation demonstrated the ease with which they seemed able to gain access to the MPs.