Mr Brine acknowledged that he “breached the rule on declaration” and was “happy to unreservedly apologise”. In a letter sent on March 28 to Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, Mr Hancock said it was his “firm belief” that Mr Brine was “acting overwhelmingly in the national interest” when he offered up the services of the healthcare recruitment company. …
The latest revelations from the WhatsApp message show Mr Brine claimed he had spent “months” trying to persuade both the Department of Health and Lord Stevens that they should use Remedium to hire anaesthetists. When Mr Brine requested advice on the role from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, the lobbying watchdog for former ministers, he was told that for …