Statement by Mr Corbridge regarding his application
Published 17 March 2025
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1. Breach of the government’s Business Appointment Rules: Mr Corbridge’s statement concerning his appointment with Segro plc
Firstly, can I unequivocally apologise for the breach reported here, it has been caused by a misunderstanding in the process and the stage of the process that this resignation was at within ACOBA as well as some external factors that were being mitigated by my new employer.
All early conversations about my appointment were caveated with the need for approval on external communications being required. The communications team at Segro and DWP Digital were connected and they worked jointly on a form of words that could be used as and when approval was reached, both parties were clear on this. The timeline was not agreed for these communications at this stage, internal communications within DWP, across government and to the DWP Partner base regarding my departure (but not my destination) were agreed and enacted.
There was a breakdown in communications between my new firm and DWP and this oversight meant process wasn’t followed correctly.
Segro had sought to make the announcement as there had been media communications about my departure from my role at DWP and they had announced internally to their executive team. The organisation was seeking to limit any rumour or leak that could occur and manage media interest in this appointment in a positive manner. As a company in the FTSE 30 there was some perceived risk of financial impact if the message was not carefully managed.
The reason for me leaving my role at DWP has been to limit any media led coverage about a possible conflict of interest as my wife moves to a new very senior role in an organization that supplies digital capability across government and the public sector. The media interest in this has been significant despite all appropriate process being in place now and for the future, Politico and The Stack have been seeking comment from DWP on the possible conflict directly as a press ask and via a number of FOI asks presented to DWP.
If I can offer my apology again for this breach and offer an apology directly to the committee, I of course would be very willing to do so.