Tory minister who could not survive on salary takes role with private health firm
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Version 0 of 1. A minister for Africa who quit the government after claiming that his £89,000 salary was insufficient to maintain a normal family life has become an adviser to a private healthcare firm with projects across the continent. Conservative Mark Simmonds prompted an angry reaction last summer by claiming that he could not survive on the salary and expenses of a junior minister. Newly released documents show that he has recently become a strategic adviser to the International Hospitals Group (IHG), a firm based in Buckinghamshire, which is involved in constructing hospitals in developing countries. Simmonds was a minister when he met representatives of the firm in December 2012 and July 2013 to discuss projects in Ghana, government documents show. IHG has been involved in developing hospitals in Angola, Libya, Mozambique and Botswana. His job with IHG is his seventh private role to be approved by the advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba), which must be consulted before senior ministers and civil servants can take up new jobs. Simmonds stood down from the government last August and as an MP at the general election. Since leaving government, he has also become managing director of the corporate investigation giant Kroll, the chairman of the advisory board of the private investment club Invest Africa, and chief operating officer of the Counter-Extremism Project, which is fighting the growth of Isis. He is also a strategic adviser of First and a non-executive deputy chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, as well as chief executive of Mortlock Simmonds. Last year, Simmonds attracted criticism after saying said he was leaving the Foreign Office and standing down as an MP because of the “intolerable” pressure on his family life. The unexpected resignation surprised many in Westminster, coming months after Simmonds had told his constituents in Boston and Skegness that he would stand for re-election. Simmonds was paid £89,435 a year as a minister and MP and was entitled to £27,875 a year to rent and pay for a flat for him and his family. However, he said this was not enough, and so he stayed in hotels during the week when he was in London. His wife was also paid up to £25,000 a year to act as his office manager. He said the new expenses system was putting people off becoming MPs. He agreed his resignation with David Cameron last July. However, it was delayed until August to allow him to chair a United Nations meeting in New York. There were claims that Simmonds had quit fearing a tough fight from the UK Independence party – a claim he denied – but the Conservatives held the seat with a 4,300 majority. He told the Daily Telegraph: “The pendulum has swung too far back the other way. It is almost impossible for an MP and a government minister with children to have a normal family life, and that can only be a deterrent to people wanting to come into parliament.” Acoba advised Simmonds that he should not draw on any privileged information available to him from his time in government and should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government on behalf of IHG for two years. In 2012, Simmonds apologised to parliament for failing to mention an interest in Circle Healthcare when speaking in support of the health and social care bill in parliament. |