Tim Yeo

Tim Yeo MP

Tim Yeo was the UK Conservative Party MP for South Suffolk from 1983 until 2015.

Cash for access controversy

In June 2013, Yeo was caught by undercover reporters for The Sunday Times posing as representatives of a solar energy firm boasting about the access he could provide businesses to members inside the government. Asked whether he would be interested in a consultancy contract, he said:

'If you want to meet the right people, I can facilitate all those introductions and I use the knowledge I get from what is quite an active network of connections.'

He also revealed he had coached the managing director of GB Railfreight, the parent company of Eurotunnel of which Yeo is a paid director and shareholder, before the executive gave evidence to the commons energy and climate change committee, of which Yeo was the chairman.

His activities breached the commons' code of conduct, forbidding MPs from acting as paid advocates for private interests. Yeo however later denied the disclosures, saying he had never made a firm commitment to provide parliamentary advice or advocacy for any company, nor had he tutored any executives giving evidence before a select committee. A spokesman for GB Railfreight neither confirmed nor denied Yeo's statement. He was cleared of breaking [[commons rules by the parliamentary commissioner for standards later that year.

In October 2015, Yeo announced he would be suing the newspaper for libel over the investigation, which he said had 'trashed' his reputation and showed 'a singular lack of responsibility both at the journalistic and the editorial level'. In November 2015 however, the High Court ruled against his case, saying his evidence was 'utterly implausible' and not presented 'convincingly'. A reporter for The Sunday Times said the ruling 'vindicates the role of the press in exposing the clandestine advocacy by MPs for undisclosed interests'. Yeo later agreed to pay the newspapers legal fees, amounting to £411,000.

Second jobs debate - among the highest earning MPs

Between March 2013 and February 2014 Yeo was among the highest earning Tory MPs for outside earnings, with £147,624.20.

• AFC Energy; company developing alkaline fuel cell technology. Address: Unit 71.4 Dunsfold Park, Stovolds Hill, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8TB. Undertake duties as Chair, run board meetings and keep in touch with senior management. Remuneration to date has included 2.5 million share options. (Updated 21 January 2013)
• Groupe Eurotunnel SA (non-executive) (of which Eurotunnel plc is a wholly owned subsidiary); company managing the Channel Tunnel. Address: Cheriton Parc, Cheriton High Street, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 4QS. My duties as a non-executive director include attendance at meetings of the Board and of the Environment and Safety Committee and advising senior management on a range of issues.
• Adviser to Edulink Consultants; providers of education services in Dubai and Uganda. Address: PO Box 500697, Dubai, UAE. I advise on the running of Victoria University, Kampala, where I am Chair of the University Council, including advice on academic standards, marketing and the development of the curriculum.
• Adviser to Meade Hall & Associates, 1 Meade Mews, Causton Street, London SW1P 4EG, a strategic communications consultancy. I advise on matters relating to the construction of new nuclear power stations in Europe.
• Unremunerated director of ITI Energy Limited; suppliers of gasification equipment. I have not received any financial benefit from this directorship. (Ceased this directorship of this 'cleantech' company in April 2013 when the administrators were called in.)

• Shareholding below registrable value in Eco City Vehicles plc; distributes and services London taxis.

Registrable shareholdings

• Anacol Holdings Ltd.; a family investment company.
• AFC Energy (shares and share options)
• Eco City Vehicles plc.
• Group Eurotunnel SA

Pro-fracking

This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project

In March 2015 Yeo told the Shale UK conference that the issue of shale gas was not a 'vote winner'. He was also extremely critical of the Environmental Audit Committee report on the issue released in early 2015, calling it 'the worst...... i have seen in 33 years'.

He was a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Unconventional Oil and Gas until May 2015.

Affiliations

• Former member of the Smart Cities All-Party Parliamentary Group
• All Party Parliamentary Group on Climate Change Group - Former Treasurer