How Lord Dannatt used his peerage to open doors for business interests

"The flowers and hamper that arrived at the Tower of London had been sent by a small energy company based in Sierra Leone. They were a gift to Richard Dannatt, the former head of the British army, who a few months earlier had introduced the company's executives to the minister for Africa. It was a move they hoped would smooth the way for the fledgling company's grand plans to build a 500m hydroelectric dam."

"With support from the UK government, the company had a better chance of getting the dam built. The dam, they said, would bring much-needed cheap electricity to many people in Sierra Leone. But it could also bring profits to the company, and Dannatt was not only to receive flowers and upmarket produce, he was also given shares. The energy company was not the only firm for which Dannatt had greased the wheels."

"After 40 years of armed service, during which he was awarded the Military Cross at the age of 22, the former general set himself up as a consultant, offering his services to clients that include a US defence contractor, a lobbying company advising the Armenian government and a bidder launching a takeover of a fertiliser factory. At issue though is that, freshly decommissioned in 2009, Dannatt had also taken up two new posts."

Richard Dannatt accepted gifts, shares, and consultancy work from private companies while holding ceremonial and political roles. A small Sierra Leone energy firm sent flowers and a hamper after Dannatt introduced its executives to the minister for Africa as they sought UK support for a 500m hydroelectric dam. The dam was promoted as a source of cheap electricity for Sierra Leone but also promised profits to the company. After a 40-year military career he worked for defence and lobbying clients, and he held the constable of the Tower role and a life peerage, positions that conferred access to power. A House of Lords committee found he broke the rules four times since 2022.

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