Peter Truscott
Private Eye reports:
- Peter Truscott was once a humble Labour Euro MP. Then he became Lord Truscott, energy minister. Now he has become a consultant to a financial PR firm called Gavin Anderson, whose 'public affairs' unit specialises in what it calls 'influencing legislation'. Gavin Anderson's most notable client? The controversial energy giant, Gazprom.[1]
Erminegate
In January 2009 Lord Truscott was one of four peers who allegedly agreed to accept money from undercover Sunday Times reporters, who were posing as business lobbyists, in return for amending legislation. Both Lord Truscott and Lord Taylor of Blackburn were suspended for six months from the House of Lords for their role in what became know as the 'erminegate' affair. Lord Moonie and Lord Snape were both cleared by the Lords Privileges Committee but were invited to apologise for their "inappropriate attitudes".[2]
Lord Truscott allegedly said he had previously offered to help an energy client who was concerned about the energy bill. Lord Truscott discussed a £72,000 fee with the undercover reporters and said "I can work with you over it ... identifying people and following it ... meeting people, talking to people to facilitate the amendment and making sure the thing is granted."[3]
Current Posts
- All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nigeria member
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy, Since November 2006
Former Positions
- Member of the House of Lords European Union Committee
- Former departmental liaison peer to the Ministry of Defence
- MEP Hertfordshire (1994 - 1999)
- Labour's Foreign Affairs and Defence spokesperson
- Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee
- Vice-President of the Security Sub Committee
- Member of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with the Russian Federation
- Claims to have written extensively on foreign and security policy. An expert on the former Soviet Union and European security
- Visiting Research Fellow with the Institute for Public Policy Research from 1999 - 2000[4]
Notes
- ↑ Private Eye, No. 1206, 21 March - 3 April 2008, p. 5
- ↑ 'Two Labour peers face suspension', BBC, 14 May 2009.
- ↑ Nicholas Watt, 'Erminegate: police called to examine corruption allegations in House of Lords', The Guardian, 26 January 2009.
- ↑ BERR Website Our Ministerial Team accessed 16th June 2008
