guardian.co.uk,
Nick Hopkins, Monday 15 October 2012
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| Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely (right) with Princess Anne at a "heroes dinner". Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA |
The
president of the Royal British Legion has quit his post in the wake of claims
that he boasted he could use his honorary position to help defence companies
lobby ministers and senior figures in the UK military.
Lieutenant
General Sir John Kiszely resigned following the allegations made in the Sunday
Times, which prompted the legion to launch its own internal inquiry.
In a letter
to the legion, Kiszely said he had made "exaggerated and foolish
claims" about the access he had and how he could use it.
In a sting
operation in which reporters posed as representatives of a South Korean arms
company, Kiszely said his role at the legion gave him access to important
figures in defence, and described the annual remembrance events as a
"tremendous networking opportunity". At other events, he found
himself "standing there waiting for the Queen, with nothing else to talk
about to [defence secretary] Philip Hammond than whatever", he is recorded
as telling the reporters. He claimed he would be having Christmas with the
armed forces minister Andrew Robathan. This was denied by the Ministry of Defence.
Confronted
by the Sunday Times, Kiszley insisted he "always kept my role as national
president of the Royal British Legion completely separate from my business
interests".
Another
person caught in the sting was Lieutenant General Sir Richard Applegate, a
former head of procurement at the Ministry of Defence. He is alleged to have
said he successfully lobbied for an Israeli defence firm, even though he was
banned from doing so under the rules set out by the advisory committee on
business appointments (Acoba). The rules say former defence personnel cannot
lobby for two years after they have retired.
Others fooled by the Sunday Times included Lord Dannatt, former head of the army;
Admiral Trevor Soar, former head of the Royal Navy fleet; Lord Stirrup, former
chief of the defence staff, and General Sir Mike Jackson, former head of the
army.
The legion
on Monday said it had received a letter from Kiszely which stated that he was
standing down because "it would be inappropriate for me to remain as
national president of the Legion".
It
continued: "I have … never used any access gained as president to raise
the subject of, or discuss, any business interests whatsoever, let alone to
make representations on behalf of clients. And I have made it equally clear
that I have never breached any government rules related to lobbying. But I made
exaggerated and foolish claims to the contrary, incompatible with my position
in the Legion.
"I was
due to step down from the role in December, and with my successor already
nominated, I believe that it is in the Legion's best interests to bring forward
the handover to allow him to take over with immediate effect.
"It
has been an honour and pleasure to serve as the Legion's national president for
the past four years, and I wish it every success in the future."
Chris
Simpkins, director general of the Legion, said: "It has been a great
honour for the Royal British Legion to be associated with Sir John during the
past four years. His example, commitment and dedication to our charitable work
on behalf of the armed forces community have been a great help to many and an
inspiration to all.
"The
Legion's work, including Remembrance events, must be kept free of any
suggestion that they could be used for commercial or political gain. Sir John's
remarks suggested otherwise.
"I
have discussed the matter with Sir John and consulted with the governance
committee of the board of trustees and am satisfied that no breach of the
Legion's code of conduct has actually occurred. The president does not have any
personal guests in his box at the festival in which he hosts senior politicians
and military personnel as guests of the Royal British Legion. Sir John's remarks
were out of character.
"Sir
John's resignation has been accepted. His successor as national president, who
had been identified some weeks ago, will be announced shortly."
Hammond has
launched a review of rules governing access to ministers and serving officers
to "shut down" meetings that could be seen as inappropriate. Though
he insisted no contracts had been awarded as a result of outside influence, he
said some of the allegations made in the Sunday Times were "deeply
damaging to the individuals concerned and their reputations".
"If we
find that people are not abiding by the advice they are given then we will need
to look at whether there are steps we can take to shut down their access to
ministers and officials," he said.
He accused
some former officers of "bigging up their capabilities".
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