This week, former Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered a stark warning to Boris Johnson’s government about China. Speaking on Radio 4, the former Tory MP suggested that Britain should avoid weakening trade links with the world’s second largest economy, and instead be ‘frank’ in private about our ‘strong differences of opinion’.
It was a strange intervention for him to make, as China implements its National Security Law in Hong Kong which threatens to undermine basic freedoms in the region. But Mr S wonders if Hammond had an entirely different regime in mind when he made his plea to not let human rights abuses get in the way of the economy…
On Monday, the committee which oversees business appointments for former ministers (ACOBA), revealed in a set of documents that Hammond is taking up a job with the government of Saudi Arabia.
According to the documents, Steerpike can disclose the former Chancellor will be a paid, part time advisor to the Kingdom’s Finance Minister as the country prepares to host the G20 Leaders’ summit in November.
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