The British government has been accused of failing to take transparency seriously after an openDemocracy investigation found that the Whitehall watchdog responsible for vetting lucrative jobs taken up by former ministers has met just once since December 2019.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) normally meets approximately four times a year but has met just once and has failed to publish any minutes in almost a year and a half.
Former ministers and senior civil servants have to notify the appointments watchdog if they plan to accept a job in the private sector with potential links to their former area of responsibility. Since 2010, ACOBA has not refused a single application.
