Ex-Cabinet minister takes partnership at Beachcroft Stanleys

CONSERVATIVE MP David Hunt, who was dropped from the Cabinet after last July's reshuffle, has become senior partner at City firm Beachcroft Stanleys.

Hunt, the only solicitor to serve in the Cabinet since the 1970s, returns to Beachcrofts after five years. He became a partner with Stanley Wasbrough & Co in Bristol in 1970.

The firm moved to London, where Beachcroft Stanleys was formed through a merger in 1988.

Hunt said he wants the firm to concentrate on work related to the Government's private finance initiative, promoting partnerships between private and public sector. He will not do any day-to-day legal work but will work alongside the chief executive in a managerial, decision-making role.

He will continue to serve as an MP in the constituency Wirral West, which he won in 1983.

Hunt said: "My role in the Government has given me invaluable experience in decision-making.

"I believe that my new position means I can now make a very significant contribution towards further improving the specialist services and know-how that our clients need to call upon in an increasingly complicated legal world."

Hunt held a number of government posts during his time in the Cabinet, including vice-chair of the Conservative Party, Deputy Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister of Public Service and Science.