Tory MP’s brother-in-law allegedly linked with hospital funding withdrawal

Tuesday 06 June 2017

A “private individual” and advisors from the UK attended a confidential meeting just days before the controversial withdrawal of plans to fund the £466 million new hospital, it has emerged.

In a response to a written question over the circumstances leading up to the last-minute decision to rip up funding proposals for the new build on the eve of the States Assembly debate, the Chief Minister revealed that Treasury Minister Alan Maclean called a meeting on Friday 19 May - just two working days before the debate – to discuss plans.

“The meeting was attended by Treasury officials, members of the Treasury Advisory Panel, a private individual with relevant expertise, advisors from the UK, the Health and Social Services Minister and myself,” Senator Gorst wrote.

Senior States sources have told Express that the “private individual” was financier Peter De Putron – hedge fund specialist and brother-in-law of Andrea Leadsom MP, the former Conservative Minister for Financial Services who ran for party leadership last year. In today's States sitting, the individual was described as someone with considerable experience in the debt market.

Pictured: Andrea Leadsom MP, Minister for Energy, who is the sister-in-law of Peter De Putron. (Source: Stefan Rousseau/PA)

It’s not the first time Mr De Putron, who is married to Mrs Leadsom’s sister, Hayley, has been linked to the Island’s government.

In 2014, a leaked table plan showed Mr De Putron seated with Jersey’s former Treasury Minister Philip Ozouf and UK Health Minister Jeremy Hunt at the Conservative Black and White Ball. The event – for which tickets cost between £450 and £1,000, is known for seating guests with similar interests together. None of the parties confirmed their attendance at the time, however.

Sources also alleged that Senator Ozouf had influenced the decision to withdraw funding plans, which he strongly denied.

Questioned by Express following a Scrutiny Panel hearing in which he was grilled over the hospital financing U-turn, Chief Minister Ian Gorst claimed that Senator Ozouf had not been present at meetings on the subject, but said that he was “not prepared to say” whether Peter De Putron had.

“I had meetings with Treasury on Friday, not with Senator Ozouf. There’s lots of misinformation about these issues and some meetings in private that I’m not prepared to talk about,” Senator Gorst commented.

It had previously been suggested both during Scrutiny and in the States Assembly that, despite the Chief Minister’s assertions, that the Treasury Minister had “agreed” to withdraw funding plans for the Island’s largest capital project rather than making the decision himself. 

Pictured: Chief Minister Ian Gorst.

Responding to this, Senator Gorst, who is currently facing a no confidence vote linked with hospital funding difficulties, wrote: “On Monday 22nd May Ministers attending their weekly, informal ministerial meeting discussed the possible withdrawal of the hospital funding proposal.

“A formal decision was not taken by the Council of Ministers as the proposition had been lodged by the Minister for Treasury and Resources and it therefore had to be his decision to withdraw it.”