Lord Dannatt, the former head of the British army, has been suspended from the House of Lords for four months after being found to have broken lobbying rules. The suspension follows an investigation by the Lords' commissioner for standards, which found that the peer had used his position to provide paid-for access to government ministers and officials.
The investigation was prompted by a Guardian undercover operation in which Lord Dannatt offered to use his contacts to help a fake property development company. He was recorded saying he could 'easily rub shoulders with people' in Westminster and facilitate introductions to ministers.
The rules of the House of Lords prohibit peers from lobbying for payment. The commissioner found that Lord Dannatt had broken these rules four times since 2022, including by writing to the British high commissioner in Ghana on behalf of a company in which he held shares. The company, Blue International, was seeking help with a goldmine issue.
Lord Dannatt was awarded a peerage by David Cameron in 2010 after retiring as head of the army. He also served as constable of the Tower of London. In 2011, he introduced executives from Joule Africa, a company later acquired by Blue International, to the then minister for Africa. He later received shares in the company.
The former general told the Guardian he had 'always acted on my personal honour'. However, the Lords' committee ruled that his actions were a serious breach of the code of conduct, noting that a peer who had sat in parliament for a long time should have understood the principle that peers cannot lobby for payment.
