Former British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday he should have communicated with the government “through only the most formal of channels,” as he acknowledged errors in a lobbying scandal.

In a statement to the PA news agency, he said he had “reflected on this at length” and accepts there are “important lessons to be learned.”

The scandal has grown since it emerged that the former Conservative party leader had privately lobbied ministers, including Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak for access to an emergency Coronavirus loan for his employer, financier Lex Greensill.

At least four ministers received such visits.

But Cameron said on Sunday that he had broken “no codes of conduct and no government rules.”

He added that his proposal was not accepted.

“So, I complied with the rules and my interventions did not lead to a change in the government’s approach,” but added that this did not change the fact that there were problems with his approach.

“As a former prime minister, I accept that communications with
government need to be done through only the most formal of channels, so there can be no room for misinterpretation,” he noted.

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Cameron had been attempting to help the finance company, which later collapsed, putting thousands of British steelmaking jobs at risk.

“I thought it was right for me to make representations on behalf of a company involved in financing a large number of UK firms.

“This was at a time of crisis for the UK economy, where everyone was looking for efficient ways to get money to businesses,” Cameron argued.