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A Tory former Health Secretary has landed a plum job with a US firm that promotes privatisation in the NHS.

Andrew Lansley, who spearheaded the Government’s botched health reforms before being sacked, was cleared to work for Bain & Company shortly after becoming a Lord.

The US management consultancy previously advised clients that “what was traditionally locked up in the NHS is going to become available to the private sector”.

All senior civil servants and ex-ministers must ask permission from Whitehall watchdogs before taking new positions with outside firms once they have left office.

An announcement slipped out by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments last month revealed: “Mr Lansley sought the committee’s advice about accepting a part-time, paid appointment with Bain & Company.

(Image: PA)

“When considering this application, the committee took into account that Mr Lansley did not have any direct, official dealings with Bain during his last two years in office.

“The committee also noted that his former departments, Cabinet Office and Department of Health, had no propriety concerns regarding this appointment.

“The committee sees no reason why Mr Lansley should not take up this appointment, subject to the following conditions: that he should not draw on any privileged information available to him from his time in Government; and for two years from his last day in ministerial office, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the Government on behalf of Bain & Company, their subsidiaries, partners or clients.”

(Image: Getty)

It added that the committee wrote to Mr Lansley in July before he accepted the appointment the following month.

The former MP also learned in August that he would be given a seat in the House of Lords. He became a member two weeks ago.

The peer served 18 years as MP for South Cambs, and was Health Secretary from 2010 to 2012.

Bain has shown strong interest in the potential for NHS privatisation following Lord Lansley’s health service overhaul.

Last year the firm’s head of healthcare told the Financial Times that firms were now competing to grab “£5.8billion of NHS work being advertised to private sector”.

Neither Lord Lansley nor Bain responded for requests for comment, Buzzfeed News reported.