Warrington peer 'admits taking money from arms company'

Oct 27 2007

A WARRINGTON peer has triggered calls for tighter anti-sleaze rules after admitting taking money to introduce an arms company lobbyist to a defence minister.

Lord Hoyle - a Warrington Labour MP for 16 years until 1997 - was paid cash to arrange the meeting with Lord Drayson, the minister in charge of billions of pounds of military procurement.

The peer, who is chairman of Warrington Wolves rugby league club, insisted he had done nothing wrong, because such payments are not specifically outlawed in the Lords.

Nevertheless, the "cash for access" row sparked immediate calls, from the Liberal Democrats. for the rules to be "tightened up".

Norman Baker, Cabinet Office spokesman, said: "There is something seriously wrong if this kind of behaviour is legal. It should not be acceptable for a peer to receive money to lobby a minister."

Furthermore, the Lords code of conduct does require peers to declare to a minister if they have a financial relationship with a lobbyist.

Lord Hoyle said he "did not know" whether he had made the required declaration - and none was recorded in the Ministry of Defence note taken at the time.

According to evidence obtained by a national newspaper, the lobbyist, Michael Wood, who trades as Whitehall Advisers, agreed to pay Lord Hoyle an undisclosed sum in June 2005.

The released MoD documents show that Lord Hoyle then engineered a private meeting between Mr Wood and Lord Drayson, the newly appointed defence minister.

Parliamentary registrar Brendan Keith, who administers the peers' code of conduct, said arranging such a meeting would "probably not violate the Lords code of conduct".

But describing it as "not something that I would advise", he added: "Were a member nevertheless to go ahead, he would certainly have to declare to the minister his interest/relationship with the company."

The peer, who was ennobled as Lord Hoyle of Warrington after stepping down at the 1997 election, did not return calls to the Daily Post last night.

However, his solicitor told the national newspaper that the financial relationship with Mr Wood was "a matter of public record of which Lord Drayson, who is a friend and colleague of Lord Hoyle, would be fully aware".

He also said he was not "specifically paid for the sole purpose" of introducing Mr Wood to the minister, but did not identify any other services Lord Hoyle provided.

The MoD said Mr Wood used the ministerial meeting to describe his lobbying company and his clients - and rang Lord Drayson three days later to have a personal conversation.

Lord Hoyle told the newspaper that he asked Lord Drayson to come for a drink, then said to the minister: "Mike Wood of Whitehall Advisers would like to meet you."

But his solicitor later said the peer had merely introduced the pair "on a purely social basis" when all three happened to be at the same location.

Formerly Doug Hoyle, the ex-government whip was made Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Warrington in 2005 - one of only three people bestowed with the borough's highest honour.