Former UK chancellor of the exchequer, Philip Hammond, may have breached lobbying rules for former ministers, according to a report in the Financial Times. The report states that in March 2021, Hammond acted as an intermediary between Treasury officials and the CEO of crypto firm Copper, Dmitry Tokarev. Treasury documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request allegedly show that the then Economic Secretary for the Treasury, John Glen, asked officials to use Hammond as a go-between with Tokarev. Hammond spoke to Glen on the phone, reporting that the Copper CEO was impressed by a meeting with Treasury officials and raised concerns about the speed of regulatory changes for crypto companies. Hammond joined Copper as a senior adviser later that year. Before doing so, he would have required approval from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments due to his previous role as chancellor. Hammond denies that his interactions with Glen were lobbying and claims they were a routine discussion with a political friend. The UK Treasury has also denied wrongdoing and insisted that meetings with crypto firms help to inform policy development. Read more AI-generated news on: https://app.chaingpt.org/news