Questions raised about Inverness and Nairn SNP candidate Fergus Ewing who dined with controversial banker Lex Greensill and steel billionaire Sanjeev Gupta without officials present
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Inverness and Nairn SNP candidate has become embroiled in the scandal centred around lobbying by controversial banker Lex Greensill.
Former Prime Minister David Cameron has been slammed for lobbying intensively on behalf of Mr Greensill, whose company has now entered administration.
It has now emerged that as rural economy minister Fergus Ewing met Mr Greensill and steel billionaire Sanjeev Gupta in Glasgow.
The meeting sparked questions about why Mr Ewing met the two men without any officials present to take notes, something critics say breaches the ministerial code.
However, the meeting was not a secret as it had been confirmed on the Scottish Government website.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "This was recorded in the register of ministerial engagements which is available on the Scottish Government’s website."
Despite that questions remain including the government’s financial exposure after the failure of one of Mr Gupta’s main backers – Greensill Capital.
It is now feared that there is significant risk to the Scottish taxpayer after complicated deals made between the government and Mr Gupta’s GFG Alliance.
GFG Alliance bought the aluminium smelter and hydro plant near Fort William from mining giant Rio Tinto for £330 million in 2016.
It is reported that the government has provided more than £500 million in guarantees to the smelting plant along with a 25-year guarantee tied to the hydro-electric power station and smelter.
But it is the lack of officials which have come back to haunt Mr Ewing as the discussion has gone largely unrecorded.
What is known is that the Scottish Government said “themes of discussion” were recorded by GFG Alliance and that included focussing on “derisking” both parties while maximising plans for growth at Lochaber.
A SNP spokesman said: “This meeting was properly recorded within government and opposition attempts to make mischief around this issue are utterly baseless.
“Civil servants do not attend every dinner or engagement a minister goes to – that would be a ludicrous waste of public money – and the ministerial code does not require them to.”
Last week, it was revealed that Chancellor Rishi Sunak tried to help Mr Greensill’s company access emergency Covid loans after lobbying from Mr Cameron.
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