A TORY MP who was flagged by a lobbying watchdog over external jobs with pharma companies has been made the chair of the Health Select Committee.
It was reported back in January that Steve Brine made £200 an hour for dolling out “strategic advice” to pharma firm Sigma, without first putting it past the Advisory Body on Business Appointments (Acoba).
And it later emerged that in February, Brine set up a meeting between the same firm and Nadhim Zahawi, who was vaccines minister at the time.
Only two months later, Sigma was given a £100,000 government contract to supply Covid tests to pharmacies.
Brine said that he had consulted Acoba over all of his jobs outside of Westminster.
However, an investigation by the Sunday Mirror revealed that he had not gone to the watchdog over a £1600 job giving advice to Sigma until after he had taken the role on – ostensibly a breach of the ministerial code.
Sigma and Brine both rejected claims that he acted as a lobbyist and asserted that he had played no role in the firm’s deal with the Government.
The watchdog’s chair, Lord Pickles, noted there was “reasonable concern” that his contact with Zahawi was "only made available to Sigma as a direct result of Mr Brine's time as a minister at the Department for Health and Social Care".
Pickles added: "I do not consider it was in-keeping with the letter or the spirit of the government's rules for former ministers for a former minister at DHSC to contact a minister with responsibilities for health on behalf of a pharmaceutical company which pays him."
Following the revelations, Brine quit all of his outside roles, which were worth a combined £38,000 a year.
And now Brine will fill the position of Health Select Committee chair, which was left open following Jeremy Hunt’s ascension to Chancellor.
Brine did not declare any interests when applying for the role or mention any previous external employment in his candidate statement.
He wrote: "We’re all known for one thing during our time in Parliament.
"For me, it’s health and I think I have a strong record on the subject - in government and on the backbenches - working collegiately and respectfully with MPs from every party."
