Former Defence Secretary Resigns as Chairman of Cambridge Aerospace

A former Conservative defence secretary resigned as chairman of Cambridge Aerospace on 30 April after a ministerial ethics watchdog raised questions about compliance with employment rules for former ministers. The former defence secretary said he had no involvement in the company's military work or in a multimillion-pound government missile contract secured by the firm.

He stated that despite his title of chairman he had not chaired the board or served as a director and described himself as one of several co-founders.

The ministerial ethics watchdog said the former defence secretary had allowed a perception of impropriety to develop and had failed to uphold the standards expected in the rules. The watchdog questioned whether the former defence secretary had complied with a condition that he play no part in defence-related work until two years after leaving office.

The watchdog initially contacted the former defence secretary after the company announced on 10 April a contract to supply the UK and its Gulf allies with Skyhammer interceptor missiles. In correspondence the watchdog noted that the company appears publicly to have only one project, which is defence-related.

The former defence secretary responded that he had scrupulously followed the rules and was not involved in any way in the contract between the company and the Ministry of Defence. He apologised for not seeking further advice as the company began working on defence matters, describing the omission as an oversight.

A Labour MP said he welcomed the resignation but called for tougher sanctions for former ministers who break the rules. The former defence secretary served as defence secretary under Rishi Sunak and was the Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield from 2005 to 2024.