Ban ministers from foreign lobbying to ‘Trump-proof’ politics, Lib Dems say

Ministers should be barred from lobbying on behalf of foreign leaders in order to “Trump-proof” British politics, the Liberal Democrats have argued.

Calum Miller, the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson, warned of a “creep of cronyism” into UK and global politics in his speech at the Lib Dem conference.

He called for ministers to change the law, banning Government figures from lobbying on behalf of foreign leaders.

Ministers should also refer themselves for an ethics probe after pressing a golf governing body, the R&A, to hold the next Open at Donald Trump’s Turnberry course, he said.

Mr Miller told the audience of Lib Dem members at the Bournemouth conference: “To me it’s shocking that our Government is appealing to the personal financial interests of an American president to curry favour. That cannot be right.”

He added: “We must protect our politics from the insidious creep of cronyism.

“Next month, the Government’s Ethics and Integrity Commission will begin its work.

“The Government must show this commission can truly protect our values from foreign corruption.

“That’s why I am calling on the Government to refer its own lobbying over Turnberry as the first case for investigation.”

The Lib Dem spokesman drew on his experience as a high level civil servant in the Cabinet Office as he called for a foreign lobbying Bill to be introduced.

Mr Miller continued: “To protect our politics from further corruption we must go further.

“The Government must put the ministerial code on a statutory footing, and they should bring forward a new lobbying of foreign powers Bill, to expand protections against UK officials and ministers actively advancing foreign leaders’ financial interests.

“We must Trump-proof our politics – especially in light of people like (Nigel) Farage, already measuring the curtains in No 10, who care more about what that office could do for them, than what they can do for this country.”

His call for probity comes after former Lib Dem leader and ex-deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg complained about the Government’s approach to Mr Trump.

Sir Keir Starmer’s attempts to woo the US president are “getting a bit embarrassing”, Sir Nick said at a conference fringe event on Sunday night.

It is “rubbish on stilts” for the Government to claim it does not need to choose between its relationship with Europe and an increasingly “belligerent” America, Sir Nick added.

“I think we’re going to run out of road as a country at some point. I don’t know what’s going to bring it to a head, but we will kind of need to choose where our long-term destiny is.

“Just bobbing about between the boats and saying we don’t really need to make a choice at all, it seems to me to be a mis-description of the predicament, really.”

Elsewhere at the conference, Sir Ed Davey declined to say whether he would join a coalition with Labour after the next election if it meant preventing a Reform UK government.

The party leader has said throughout the conference he believes there is a moral duty to keep Nigel Farage’s party out of government.

But asked repeatedly by the BBC whether this meant he would consider entering into a coalition with Sir Keir’s party, the Lib Dem leader did not give a clear answer.

The Lib Dems also set out their plans to bolster the protection of children online on Monday.

The party’s science and technology spokesperson, Victoria Collins, said cigarette-style health warnings should be placed on social media apps to protect children from harm.