Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral contribution of 23 May 2023, Official Report, vol 733, column 292, what the evidential basis is for his statement that it is a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office during (a) a parliamentary inquiries and (b) privileges committee inquiries of Parliament.

The Prime Minister specifically said “It is actually a long-established process across multiple Administrations that former Ministers are supported with legal representation after they have left office to deal with matters that relate to their time in office. That has been the practice for many years, as I say, across multiple political Administrations, both Labour and Conservative.”

The Privileges Committee inquiry relates to the conduct of the (now former) Prime Minister making statements at the despatch box on behalf of HM Government.

There is an established precedent across multiple administrations based on the principle that former Ministers, of all political colours, may be supported with legal representation after they have left office – when matters relate to their time and conduct as a Minister of the Crown.

This has been the case in public inquiries into matters such as BSE, Iraq, Grenfell, Infected Blood, Child Sexual Abuse and Covid.

However, the principle is not limited to public inquiries and has been applied in other contexts, for example, litigation. The same principle can also be applied to Parliamentary inquiries, where it relates to one’s conduct as Minister of the Crown.

As set out by Alex Chisholm, the Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Cabinet Office at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee meeting on 26 January 2023, the contract award has followed the proper procurement process.