We wrote this morning that David Cameron’s attempts to lure a trade minister from the private sector have so far fallen on stony ground.
We revealed that those who have said “no, thank you” include Sir John Rose, chief executive of Rolls-Royce, and Mervyn Davies (pictured), former chairman of Standard Chartered, who was trade minister under Labour.
(“They didn’t realise that Mervyn is Labour through and through,” says one source). At least one other executive has been approached, I’m told.
Could the rejection have anything to do with the fact that the job is unpaid; requires dropping all other consultancies and directorships; and means putting assets into a blind trust for the duration?
With Sir John Rose out of the picture, we thought his namesake SIr Stuart Rose could go for the job, given that he is now quitting M&S. Or there is Lord Mandelson, who seems relaxed among the rich and powerful. What about Digby Jones*, former head of the CBI? He is uncontroversial and has the qualifications for the post.
* This is ironic, obviously.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey