Critics say foreign secretary used public resources for inauguration of Institute for Free Trade, which calls for move to Singapore-style economy

Boris Johnson has been accused of breaching the ministerial code in an “astonishing lack of judgment” by allowing the launch of a right-leaning thinktank on Foreign Office premises. The Institute for Free Trade (IFT), set up and headed by the arch-Brexiter Daniel Hannan, held its first public meeting on Wednesday in the grand surroundings of the FCO’s Map Room, with guests including Johnson, Michael Gove and Liam Fox.



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Critics accused the foreign secretary of allowing public resources to be misused as Hannan called for the government to move towards a Singapore-style economy after Britain leaves the EU. Theresa May reassured EU leaders this week that Britain was not seeking to become an offshore tax haven like Singapore.

Lord Falconer claimed the event was in breach of the ministerial code because the aims of the institute are not supported by the government. The former Labour lord chancellor wrote on Twitter: “Foreign Sec in breach of min code (7.12) in allowing FCO to be venue for launch of Institute of Free Trade which conflicts with govt policy.”

The code says: “Ministers should take care to ensure that they do not become associated with non-public organisations whose objectives may in any degree conflict with government policy and thus give rise to a conflict of interest.”



Questions have also been raised about why FCO staff appeared to be on hand to direct visitors to the event. Dave Penman, the head of the senior civil servants’ union, the FDA, said the event had placed his members, who are bound by rules on impartiality, in a difficult position. He said: “Civil service departments are not the personal plaything for ministers of state to promote their particular political beliefs – they are there to deliver public services to taxpayers.



“Whether they have broken the ministerial code or not, the ministers involved have shown an astonishing lack of judgment in using official government buildings, departmental communication channels and civil servants’ time to help promote a thinktank which quite clearly represents a particular political view of Brexit.”

The IFT “sees Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union as a unique opportunity to revitalise the world trading system”, according to its website. It is based near parliament at 57 Tufton Street, where it shares an office with the rightwing thinktank the Centre for Policy Studies.

At the event, Johnson again called for a swift end to any transition phase of the UK’s exit from the European Union, in another move that could be provocative towards May. He told guests: “You can imagine what our brilliant companies are able to do … Let’s hope the date is soon upon us, without too long a transition period.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Daniel Hannan with Nigel Farage. Hannan has long been a proponent of turning the UK into a low-regulation, low-taxation economy. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Hannan said: “I’m looking at [the] high commissioner of Singapore [in the front row]. They have gone from being half as rich as us to twice as rich as us. What was the magic formula? Just do it. They dropped their barriers.”



The Guardian asked the Cabinet Office whether Johnson or the other ministers in attendance had asked permission from their permanent secretaries before endorsing the event.

A government spokesperson confirmed that Jeremy Heywood, the cabinet secretary, would examine a complaint about the launch. “The cabinet secretary has received a letter of complaint and he will reply in due course,” the spokesperson said.

