Ex-Blair aide cleared of wrongdoing

Thursday, 29 July 2010 12:00 AM

By Rebecca Burns

A former aide to Tony Blair has been cleared of wrongdoing after allegations that she would take cash to exercise parliamentary influence.

Baroness Morgan of Huyton, previously Tony Blair's gatekeeper at No 10 as Sally Morgan, was filmed secretly by a Channel 4 Dispatches programme investigating requests for parliamentary influence in exchange for money.

Lady Morgan was accused of asking a question that could be seen to be linked to her paid role as a member of Lloyd's Pharmacy healthcare advisory panel without declaring vested interests, and of agreeing to provide services as a lobbyist to the Channel 4 reporter.

Despite agreeing that she could "push a direction on travel policy" Lady Morgan went on to state: "You know, in a sense I would give you the code and say this is what I can do and this is what I can't do and then we all know where we are. And in a sense my view is, I do anything as long as I'm transparent, reasonably transparent about it."

The committee, although Lady Morgan's conduct was "imperfect", did not find her guilty of breaking the parliamentary code of conduct.

Following the initial broadcast of the programme Lady Morgan referred herself to the House of Lords standards committee.

Its report has cleared the baroness on both counts, as the interview "did not amount to an agreement to provide services" and the question to the House "did not relate to pharmacies and Lloydspharmacy does not offer diabetes testing to under 18s".

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