The secretary of the environment has declined to clarify if he misused his authority in attempting to prevent the construction of an incinerator in his electoral district.
However, Steve Barclay took responsibility for not accurately disclosing his conflict of interest and excusing himself from the situation after being questioned about it on Tuesday.
Barclay has been strongly fighting against a proposal to build a waste-to-energy incinerator in Wisbech, located in his constituency of North East Cambridgeshire. The incinerator would burn non-recyclable waste in order to produce energy for the surrounding industrial area.
The energy department officially approved the incinerator last month after receiving a recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate.
Reports have stated that Barclay informed Number 10 of his strong dissatisfaction with this choice. The BBC has stated that government employees expressed concerns about Barclay’s connection to the case, leading to conversations with the Whitehall propriety and ethics unit. The Secretary of State agreed to pass on the decision to another minister, Mark Spencer.
During his appearance before the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee on Tuesday, Barclay was questioned about this issue. He did not reveal if he had communicated with the energy department or Number 10 regarding this, but he did acknowledge that he had not consulted with the Environment Agency and expressed regret for not disclosing his personal involvement.
“He expressed that all ministers must maintain a balance between their responsibilities to their constituents and their duties as a minister. I want to take this moment to apologize to the committee for not formally recusing myself earlier and for not updating the register of interests regarding my well-publicized opposition to the incinerator.”
I have consistently stated that I cannot make any decisions as Secretary of State due to my involvement with my constituency, hence why I have made my interest known.
“I was not initially informed that a formal recusal was necessary, but once the permanent secretary brought it to my attention, I promptly complied. I have never lobbied the Environment Agency on behalf of the secretary of state in regards to the incinerator.”
Tamara Finkelstein, the permanent secretary for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, stated to the committee that any internal correspondence regarding the incinerator from Barclay would not be made public.
Steve Reed, Member of Parliament and current spokesperson for the environment, stated that it is illegal for high-ranking government officials to use their power to bolster their local support. However, there are growing worries that this is precisely what Steve Barclay has done.
The citizens of Britain deserve clarification. Who was Barclay attempting to convince, when did this occur, and which other government officials were included.
The Conservative party is solely focused on protecting themselves. In contrast, the Labour party will take action to preserve our rivers, natural landscapes, and farming communities.
Source: theguardian.com
