While all eyes are on one Huhne, his namesake Geoff – give or take a bit of spelling – is finding new pastures in the corporate world. The former defence secretary, who was ensnared in a Dispatches sting (saying he would use his contacts to find employment in the private sector*) is off to work for AgustaWestland, the helicopter company. Here is the full story on ft.com.
Hoon was in charge of the MoD in 2005 when it awarded a £1bn contract to Westland to buy “Future Lynx” choppers, an agreement that saved thousands of British jobs.
He was administratively suspended from the Labour party in the wake of the Dispatches story.
* To be fair to Hoon his comments were not in the same league as Steve Byers, whose credibility was shredded as he described himself as “like a sort of cab for hire“.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey