Lord Chadlington to Depart House of Lords Following Standards Investigation
Conservative peer Peter Gummer, known as Lord Chadlington, has announced he will leave the House of Lords after an investigation concluded he committed five breaches of standards concerning £50 million in Covid PPE deals. The inquiry also found he did not cooperate with previous investigations into his conduct.
Investigation Findings and Breaches of Conduct
The Lords standards commissioner, Martin Jelley, determined that Chadlington "did not act on his personal honour" by failing to cooperate with earlier investigations that had cleared him. The breaches relate to his introduction of a company, in which he had a financial interest, to the government as a potential PPE supplier in April 2020.
Chadlington's contact with then health minister Matt Hancock and his subsequent advice to the company were also ruled as violations of the code governing peers' conduct. Specifically, he was found to have breached the rule that peers "must not seek to profit from membership of the house by accepting or agreeing to accept payment or other incentive or reward in return for providing parliamentary advice or services" on three occasions.
Details of the PPE Contracts and Company Involvement
In April 2020, Chadlington introduced SG Recruitment, a small loss-making agency where he had a financial stake, to the government as a PPE supplier. The company was swiftly awarded £50 million in contracts through the Conservative government's "VIP lane" for politically connected individuals.
Despite these contracts, SG Recruitment, later renamed, went into liquidation in December 2023, owing £1.1 million in taxes to HMRC. The Department of Health and Social Care had entirely rejected the PPE supplied under the first £24 million contract as "unusable."
Background and Previous Investigations
Lord Chadlington is an influential Tory grandee and party donor, a close friend of David Cameron, and previously advised John Major. This investigation marks the third probe by the House of Lords commissioner for standards into his involvement with SG Recruitment.
The latest inquiry was launched in March after complaints from the Covid Bereaved Families for Justice group. Previous investigations in 2022 and 2023, prompted by Guardian reporting and complaints from Labour peer George Foulkes, had cleared Chadlington, though the commissioner noted it was "regrettable" he did not provide fuller information initially.
Evidence and Communications Revealed
Text messages and emails published by the Covid inquiry showed Chadlington requested help from David Cameron for advice on approaching the government. Cameron provided the phone number of Andrew Feldman, a close friend and adviser to the DHSC on PPE procurement.
Chadlington then emailed SG Recruitment's majority owner, David Sumner, introducing him to Feldman with the message: "He can help you with PPE we discussed this morning. Drop me off chain. Peter." He did not disclose this email to the earlier Lords investigations.
Within a week, the DHSC awarded SG Recruitment a £24 million contract for coveralls, followed by a £26.1 million contract for hand sanitiser a month later. Chadlington was chair, a paid director, and a shareholder in the parent company, Sumner Group Holdings, registered in Jersey.
Chadlington's Response and Retirement Announcement
In a statement issued through his lawyers, Chadlington said: "I wholly reject the findings of this appeal and of the commissioner." He added that while the committee acknowledged he did not act dishonestly, he never profited from the introduction, made with "honourable intent" during a national crisis.
"Any errors that I did make were honest. I have apologised for them and I do so again today," he stated. Chadlington confirmed his decision to retire after 30 years as a peer and resign from the Conservative party, noting he had considered retirement since turning 80 but waited due to the ongoing investigations.
Reactions from Peers and Bereaved Families
Lord Foulkes welcomed the decision, stating: "It is unfortunate that Lord Chadlington failed to cooperate with the previous commissioner's investigations and therefore this has dragged on for so long before the truth has come out."
The Covid Bereaved Families for Justice group also welcomed the outcome, saying it "vindicates the complaint brought by bereaved families and shows that those who abused their position during the pandemic can be held to account." They emphasised the importance of examining the government's contracts and VIP lane during the pandemic.
The 12-month suspension upheld by the conduct committee after Chadlington's appeal represents one of the more severe penalties for misconduct in the Lords, underscoring the gravity of the breaches in this high-profile case.
