Tax officials ‘looking into’ David Cameron’s use of private jets during his lobbying work for collapsed lender Greensill Capital as calls grow for ethics probe into ex-PM’s business dealings

Tax officials are looking into David Cameron’s use of private jets during his lobbying work for collapsed lender Greensill Capital, it has been reported.

HMRC are said to be examining whether the ex-prime minister fully disclosed all taxable perks while he was employed by the failed finance firm.

It comes amid fresh scrutiny of the former premier’s business dealings – including his links to China – following his departure from Downing Street.

Lord Cameron recently ended his seven-year spell in the political wilderness when he was dramatically handed a peerage and brought back to Government as Rishi Sunak’s new Foreign Secretary.

According to the Guardian, HMRC officials are looking at a number of flights that took off or landed near Lord Cameron’s house in Oxfordshire, as well as in Cornwall, where the ex-PM has a holiday home.

The Liberal Democrats today demanded Mr Sunak order his ethics adviser to launch a probe.

They highlighted how Nadhim Zahawi was sacked as Tory chairman by the PM earlier this year, following his failure to declare his tax affairs were being investigated.

Tax officials are looking into David Cameron’s use of private jets during his lobbying work for collapsed lender Greensill Capital, it has been reported

HMRC are said to be examining whether the ex-prime minister fully disclosed all taxable perks while he was employed by the failed finance firm

Lord Cameron pictured with Lex Greensill, founder of Greensill Capital, during a trip to Saudi Arabia in January 2020

The Guardian reported that flight logs showed at least 13 flights to and from Newquay airport, in Cornwall, on Greensill’s Piaggio P180 private aircraft.

They are also said to show two flights involving RAF Brize Norton, which is a short drive from Lord Cameron’s Oxfordshire home.

During a grilling by MPs in 2021, as they probed the Greensill lobbying scandal, the now-defunct firm’s founder, Lex Greensill, described how he and Mr Cameron travelled together on the company’s private jets.

The scandal emerged in the wake of the Covid crisis, when Lord Cameron was revealed to have bombarded Government ministers and officials – as well as the Bank of England – with messages in a bid to win Greensill access to taxpayer-backed support schemes.

He was accused of relying on contacts he forged during his years as PM for the benefit of his new employer.

Lord Cameron was previously reported to have earned around £7m from Greensill before its collapse.

According to the Guardian report, HMRC are also examining an offshore trust that is claimed to have been created by Greensill to pay the ex-PM extra benefits.

A spokesperson for Lord Cameron told the newspaper: ‘As already made clear in David Cameron’s evidence to the Treasury select committee in May 2021, he did use Greensill’s company plane a number of times on a personal basis, all for short-haul flights, and tax was paid appropriately for any benefit received.

‘Further, all income received from Greensill has been properly declared to HMRC and all tax paid in full.’

A spokesperson for HMRC said: ‘We cannot comment on identifiable taxpayers.’

Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: ‘Yet again, it appears Sunak has appointed a Cabinet minister being looked into by HMRC.

‘The PM must ask the ethics adviser to investigate these reports as a matter of urgency.

‘Serious questions need answering over whether this reported HMRC scrutiny was disclosed as part of the appointment and vetting process for Cameron’s seat in the Lords, and whether Sunak was aware when he appointed him.

‘Far from looking to kick sleaze out of the Cabinet, the Prime Minister seems to have sought to bring even more in from the outside.’

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