ACOBA Advice Letters
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments advice on post-government roles — tracking the revolving door between government and the private sector. gov.uk.
1995
Advice Letters
941
Ministers
1991
With Conditions
Key Findings
1995 advice letters tracked — covering ministers, special advisers, and senior civil servants taking private sector roles after leaving government.
941 minister applications — former ministers must seek ACOBA advice before taking any role in their first two years after leaving office.
1991 cases had conditions — including lobbying bans, waiting periods, and restrictions on using privileged information from their government role.
ACOBA advice is non-binding — the committee can recommend but not prohibit. Compliance is voluntary, which limits the mechanism's enforcement power.
Showing 1995 cases
ACOBA's evidence to PACAC on Propriety
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
ethics and the wider standards landscape in the UK
— Submission to PACAC - ACOBA closure & the wider ethical sta…
12 Oct 2025
ethics and the wider sta…
Advice letter
Sarah Harrison
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Chief Operating Officer
Building Societies Association — Chief Executive
12 Oct 2025
Cabinet Office
Advice letter
Huw Merriman
Approved with conditions Minister
Minister of State, Department for Transport
Rail Freight Group — Consultant
10 Oct 2025
ACOBA advice and corresp…
Advice letter
Paul Monks
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Chief Scientific Adviser
— Correspondence from ACOBA to DESNZ regarding a breach of th…
10 Oct 2025
Department for Energy Se…
Advice letter
Simon Case
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service
RAF Charitable Trust — Ambassador
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Huw Merriman
Approved with conditions Minister
Minister of State, Department for Transport
Transport for Greater Manchester — Consultant
10 Oct 2025
ACOBA advice and corresp…
Advice letter
Paul Monks
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Chief Scientific Adviser
— Correspondence from ACOBA to the Cabinet Office regarding a…
10 Oct 2025
Department for Energy Se…
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
— Letter from ACOBA to the Cabinet Office regarding breach of…
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
Harry Walker Agency LLC — Speaker
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
— Jeremy Lee Associates
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Crawford Falconer
Approved with conditions Senior Civil Servant
Second Permanent Secretary and Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser at the Departmen…
Bradshaw Advisory Ltd — Senior Advisor
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Simon Case
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service
Patchwork Foundation — Patron
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
The Earl of Minto- Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence - ACOBA advice
Approved with conditions Minister
Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence and
Argyll Strategy Ltd — Chairman
10 Oct 2025
Department for Business …
Advice letter
Huw Merriman
Approved with conditions Minister
Minister of State, Department for Transport
High Speed Rail Group — Non Executive Chair
10 Oct 2025
ACOBA advice and corresp…
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
Aviation Infrastructure Resilience — Chair of the Advisory Board
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Joanna Rowland
Approved with conditions Senior Civil Servant
Director General, Customer Services Group, Director General, UK Visas and Immig…
RSPCA — CEO
10 Oct 2025
Home Office
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
— breach of the Rules (Merlyn Advisors Ltd)
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
— Correspondence from the Deputy Prime Minister regarding a b…
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
— breach of the Rules (Daily Mail)
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
Farnborough International Limited — Non-Executive Director
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
The Telegraph — Columnist
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Heappey
Approved with conditions Minister
James- Minister of State
AECOM — Senior Advisor
10 Oct 2025
Ministry of Defence
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
GB News — Presenter and Contributor
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Heappey
Approved with conditions Minister
James- Minister of State
— breach of the Rules (HPO Technologies Limited)
10 Oct 2025
Ministry of Defence
Advice letter
Simon Case
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service
— commission with Bridgepoint under his independent consultan…
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Bernadette Kelly
Approved with conditions Senior Civil Servant
Permanent Secretary
University of Warwick — Independent Member of the Council and Finance and General P…
10 Oct 2025
Department for Transport
Advice letter
Simon Case
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service
Inc. — commission with Workday
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
Better Earth Ltd — Co-Chair
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Simon Case
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service
Invisible Technologies — Adviser
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
— commission with Heathrow Airport under Ascalane Partners Ltd
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
— Letter from ACOBA to the Cabinet Office regarding breach of…
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Bernadette Kelly
Approved with conditions Senior Civil Servant
Permanent Secretary
Youth Futures Foundation — Non Executive Director
10 Oct 2025
Department for Transport
Advice letter
Tariq Ahmad
Approved with conditions Minister
Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia
World Humanitarian Forum — Co-Chair
10 Oct 2025
United Nations and the C…
Advice letter
Tariq Ahmad
Approved with conditions Minister
Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia
Hinduja Automotive Ltd — Board Advisor
10 Oct 2025
United Nations and the C…
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
AirTanker Services Limited — Non-Executive Director
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
— BIA Advisory)
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
— Center for European Policy Analysis
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
Royal Air Forces Association — Ambassador
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
Ascalane Partners Ltd — Director
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Boris Johnson
Approved with conditions Minister
Prime Minister
BIA Advisory) — breaches of the Rules (Better Earth
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
Anchor Philanthropic Capital Limited — Chief Executive Officer
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
— commission with the Port of Dover under Ascalane Partners L…
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Heappey
Approved with conditions Minister
James- Minister of State
— Letter from ACOBA to the Cabinet Office regarding breach of…
10 Oct 2025
Ministry of Defence
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
Society of Maritime Industries — Vice-President
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Heappey
Approved with conditions Minister
James- Minister of State
Helsing Limited — Senior Advisor
10 Oct 2025
Ministry of Defence
Advice letter
Paul Monks
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Chief Scientific Adviser
UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology — Trustee
10 Oct 2025
Department for Energy Se…
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
H/Advisors Cicero — Senior Advisor
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Robert Courts
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Solicitor General at the Attorney General's Office
— commission with Northrop Grumman UK Limited under Ascalane …
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter
Heappey
Approved with conditions Minister
James- Minister of State
Serco Group Plc — Senior Advisor
10 Oct 2025
Ministry of Defence
Advice letter
Simon Case
Approved with conditions Crown Servant
Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service
— establishing an independent consultancy
10 Oct 2025
Advice letter