Under the part “other shareholdings on, valued at more than £70,000”, Ms Villiers’ entry says: “From 23 February 2018, Shell PLC; energy. (Registered 17 July 2023).”
Ms Villiers served in Boris Johnson’s cupboard as surroundings secretary from July 2019 till February 2020.
An inventory of ministers’ pursuits from November 2019 didn’t embody a point out of the shares for Ms Villiers.
The MP for Chipping Barnet’s newest entry to the register additionally included newly declared shares above the identical threshold in drinks producer Diageo from February 23 2018 and Experian PLC from July 29 2019.
Mr Glen stated: “I think she’s apologised. She’s admitted their mistake. I think part of the situation is there’s an MP regime for disclosures of private assets and there’s a ministerial regime.
“As I understand it, she didn’t fulfil the obligations of the MP regime while she was a minister.
“But as I say she’s been very clear in apologising, it was an oversight on her part, and she will correct it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Nothing she did as Defra secretary was influenced by any of those shareholdings
A spokesman for Ms Villiers stated: “Ms Villiers deeply regrets her failure to monitor the value of shareholdings and has offered her sincere apologies.
“These shares are part of (a) portfolio which is professionally managed for Ms Villiers and for which she has never taken day-to-day investment decisions.
“It did not occur to her that any single shareholding would reach the threshold for declaration, but a legacy received in 2018 caused that to happen.
“As soon as she realised this, she alerted the Registrar of Members Interests and the Standards Commissioner.
“She takes full responsibility for the mistake. She accepts that it should never have happened, and that she should have kept track of the additions to her investment portfolio. She is taking steps to ensure that this never happens again. Nothing she has ever said or done as MP has been influenced by these shareholdings.”
In relation to ministerial pursuits, the spokesman added: “When she was appointed as secretary of state, Ms Villiers disclosed to Defra that she had a portfolio of shares which was professionally managed for her and over which she did not take investment decisions.
“She offered to place this in a blind trust.
“The Prime Minister’s ethics adviser said that this step was unnecessary because the portfolio was managed for her and she did not take investment decisions. So Ministerial Code requirements were complied with.
“Nothing she did as Defra secretary was influenced by any of these shareholdings.”
