Difference between revisions of "Robin Walker"

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*Furthermore according to the investigation "In February 2011, Walker also tabled an amendment that watered down a backbench bill which proposed imposing a cap on the cost of taking out an unsecured loan. Two months later Finsbury started working on behalf of [[Wonga]], an online lender that charges interest rates of more than 2,600% a year". <ref> Melanie Newman, [http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/10/01/questions-over-mps-conflicts-of-interests-raised/Questions raised over MPs’ conflicts of interests] ''The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism'', 1st October 2011, accessed 11th October 2011 </ref>
 
*Furthermore according to the investigation "In February 2011, Walker also tabled an amendment that watered down a backbench bill which proposed imposing a cap on the cost of taking out an unsecured loan. Two months later Finsbury started working on behalf of [[Wonga]], an online lender that charges interest rates of more than 2,600% a year". <ref> Melanie Newman, [http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/10/01/questions-over-mps-conflicts-of-interests-raised/Questions raised over MPs’ conflicts of interests] ''The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism'', 1st October 2011, accessed 11th October 2011 </ref>
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Walker defended his behaviour to the Worcester News "I never dealt with anyone in the brewery side or the financial side. As soon as I became an MP I went to the parliamentary standards people and asked them ‘should I put forward Finsbury’s whole client list?"...“They were very clear it should only be the companies I dealt with directly.” He went on to claim that with respect to amendments to the bill on capping the cost of  unsecured loans that he said "If we amended the wording, it was the only way to get it through" and he said it was "crazy" to suggest this was connected to [[Wonga]]'s contract with [[Finsbury]].<ref> Sarah Davies, [http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/9286231.Walker_hits_back_in_beer_tax_row/ Walker hits back in beer tax row] ''Worcester News'' 4th October 2011, accessed 11th October 2011 </ref>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
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[[Category:Alcohol|Walker, Robin]][[Category:Alcohol Industry|Walker, Robin]][[Category:Lobbyists|Walker, Robin]][[Category:Health|Walker, Robin]]
 
[[Category:Alcohol|Walker, Robin]][[Category:Alcohol Industry|Walker, Robin]][[Category:Lobbyists|Walker, Robin]][[Category:Health|Walker, Robin]]

Revision as of 22:59, 11 October 2011

Twenty-pound-notes.jpg This article is part of the Lobbying Portal, a sunlight project from Spinwatch.
Alcohol badge.jpg This article is part of the Spinwatch public health oriented Alcohol Portal project.

Robin Walker was elected in the May 2010 general election as MP for Worcester. [1] Walker's father Peter Walker was also Worcester MP between 1961 and 1992 and a member of the Margaret Thatcher's cabinet.[2]

Biography

Robin Walker was born in 1978 and attended Oxford. Finsbury a PR and lobbying firm were his employers from 2003-2010 where he became a partner. His website mentions some of the companies he represented "Pilkington plc, a number of major listings on the London Stock Exchange and the successful defence of Rio Tinto from a takeover by BHP Billiton, one of the largest hostile transactions in history." [3]

Before standing for parliament himself Walker worked on election campaigns for Stephen Dorrell in 1997, Richard Adams in 2001 and worked for Oliver Letwin when shadow chancellor in 2005. [4]

Walker still works for Finsbury on a part time basis. [5]

Controversies

  • Furthermore according to the investigation "In February 2011, Walker also tabled an amendment that watered down a backbench bill which proposed imposing a cap on the cost of taking out an unsecured loan. Two months later Finsbury started working on behalf of Wonga, an online lender that charges interest rates of more than 2,600% a year". [8]

Walker defended his behaviour to the Worcester News "I never dealt with anyone in the brewery side or the financial side. As soon as I became an MP I went to the parliamentary standards people and asked them ‘should I put forward Finsbury’s whole client list?"...“They were very clear it should only be the companies I dealt with directly.” He went on to claim that with respect to amendments to the bill on capping the cost of unsecured loans that he said "If we amended the wording, it was the only way to get it through" and he said it was "crazy" to suggest this was connected to Wonga's contract with Finsbury.[9]

References

  1. Robin Walker Robin Walker MP, Member of Parliament for Worcester accessed 11th October 2011
  2. Melanie Newman, raised over MPs’ conflicts of interests The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism, 1st October 2011, accessed 11th October 2011
  3. Robin Walker, Robin Walker MP, Member of Parliament for Worcester accessed 11th October 2011
  4. Robin Walker, Robin Walker MP, Member of Parliament for Worcester accessed 11th October 2011
  5. Melanie Newman, raised over MPs’ conflicts of interests The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism, 1st October 2011, accessed 11th October 2011
  6. Melanie Newman, raised over MPs’ conflicts of interests The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism, 1st October 2011, accessed 11th October 2011
  7. Melanie Newman, raised over MPs’ conflicts of interests The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism, 1st October 2011, accessed 11th October 2011
  8. Melanie Newman, raised over MPs’ conflicts of interests The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism, 1st October 2011, accessed 11th October 2011
  9. Sarah Davies, Walker hits back in beer tax row Worcester News 4th October 2011, accessed 11th October 2011