Boris Johnson today backed Lord Pickles after the government watchdog warned over a lack of 'boundaries' in civil service links to business and said 'excuses' are being used to avoid checks.
The PM said he 'thoroughly' agreed after the peer, head of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, delivered a damning assessment of the revolving door between Whitehall and the private sector.
The former Cabinet minister said his 'eyebrows raised the full quarter-inch' when it emerged procurement chief Bill Crothers had been allowed to join Greensill as an adviser in September 2015 alongside his £149,000 role.
The permission was given through an internal 'conflicts' process at the Cabinet Office - meaning he was never required to run it past Acoba.