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Tony Caplin resigns as quango chairman Tony Caplin resigns as quango chairman
(about 3 hours later)
A businessman appointed by the prime minister to head a quango managing public funds has resigned after it emerged he had been declared bankrupt.A businessman appointed by the prime minister to head a quango managing public funds has resigned after it emerged he had been declared bankrupt.
Tony Caplin has resigned as chairman of the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB).Tony Caplin has resigned as chairman of the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB).
The organisation is responsible for multi-million pound loans to local councils for infrastructure projects.The organisation is responsible for multi-million pound loans to local councils for infrastructure projects.
A Conservative spokesman said Mr Caplin "should have declared he was bankrupt", and Labour described his appointment as "astonishing".A Conservative spokesman said Mr Caplin "should have declared he was bankrupt", and Labour described his appointment as "astonishing".
The Mail on Sunday reported that Mr Caplin had been made bankrupt in 2012.The Mail on Sunday reported that Mr Caplin had been made bankrupt in 2012.
'No party role''No party role'
Whitehall rules require anyone serving on a public body who is declared bankrupt to inform the relevant minister immediately.Whitehall rules require anyone serving on a public body who is declared bankrupt to inform the relevant minister immediately.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: "Tony Caplin has no role in the Conservative Party nor is he contributing to the manifesto.A Conservative Party spokesman said: "Tony Caplin has no role in the Conservative Party nor is he contributing to the manifesto.
"He was appointed to a number of public bodies by the previous government."He was appointed to a number of public bodies by the previous government.
"He was re-appointed to the PWLB by the prime minister. He should have declared he was bankrupt."He was re-appointed to the PWLB by the prime minister. He should have declared he was bankrupt.
"This has been pointed out to him, and as a result he has resigned.""This has been pointed out to him, and as a result he has resigned."
'Serious questions''Serious questions'
Senior Labour MP Margaret Hodge, who chairs the Commons Public Accounts Committee, told The Mail on Sunday: "This raises serious questions which should be investigated." BBC's political editor for the South East, Louise Stewart, said that Mr Caplin "had close links at the highest levels of the Conservative Party".
The former Conservative Party chief operating officer has served on a number of public bodies, including the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, where he was chairman until January last year. She said that he had helped the party write its manifesto in 2005 and when he was made bankrupt he had debts of £3m.
He had been a PWLB commissioner for 10 years and was appointed chairman by Mr Cameron in July 2013. She said: "Anyone in charge of a body like that, particularly one which deals with huge sums of money - £60bn in public loans, needs to divulge their financial situation if they are to be found bankrupt."
Mr Caplin was appointed to the PWLB, which was set up in 1793, by the Labour government in 2003, and was then made chairman of it by the prime minister 10 years later.
The former Conservative Party chief operating officer has also served on a number of public bodies, including the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust, where he was chairman until January last year.
According to the PWLB website, Mr Caplin's appointment had been due to end in 2015.According to the PWLB website, Mr Caplin's appointment had been due to end in 2015.
Senior Labour MP Margaret Hodge, who chairs the Commons Public Accounts Committee, told The Mail on Sunday: "This raises serious questions which should be investigated."
The shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Chris Leslie, said: "It is astonishing that the prime minister and the chancellor could appoint someone who went bankrupt owing so much to the Treasury, to run the Treasury's lending operations."The shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Chris Leslie, said: "It is astonishing that the prime minister and the chancellor could appoint someone who went bankrupt owing so much to the Treasury, to run the Treasury's lending operations."
Mr Leslie added that he thought this was a mistake "by a prime minister with a track record of poor judgement in relation to his cronies".Mr Leslie added that he thought this was a mistake "by a prime minister with a track record of poor judgement in relation to his cronies".
He called for the government to set out exactly what it knew about Mr Caplin's history before it made his appointment.He called for the government to set out exactly what it knew about Mr Caplin's history before it made his appointment.