Lord Barker of Battle was appointed to the board of En+ as a non-executive chairman in 2017

Lord Barker of Battle, the former energy minister, has taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords to run an aluminium and energy group owned by Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch, with revenues of $12 billion.

En+ appointed Lord Barker, 52, as executive chairman this month for a three-year term after the United States said it would lift sanctions on the company. The former Conservative MP told the Lords of his plans to hang up his robes on February 11 and has not voted since. He will keep his title during his absence but will not be able to attend the House, vote or claim expenses.

He joins a handful of peers who have stepped away to run private businesses. Lord Browne of