Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans James Heappey chats with people at the NFU stand at The Royal Bath And West Show in 2023. Credit: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images

Former UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey breached the UK government’s Business Appointment Rules, intended to guide former ministers as they transition into private sector employment, by signing a contract with HPO Technologies after leaving politics earlier this year.

According to the Office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, also known as ACOBA, Heappey was in breach of regulations that state former ministers should seek advice on private sector appointments for two years after leaving office.

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Heappey, who served in the UK Ministry of Defence for more than four years, informed ACOBA he had left his role as Minister of State for the Armed Forces in March 2024 and subsequently signed a contract of employment with HPO Technologies on 16 September 2024.

“You should have sought the advice of the committee before signing a contract with the company. Consequently, you are unambiguously in breach of the government’s business appointment rules,” ACOBA stated in a written response to Heappey on 18 December.

Continuing, ACOBA stated that there was an “obvious overlap” between Heappey’s responsibilities in public office and the new role in HPO Technologies.

“This is exactly the kind of risk to the integrity of government that the rules are designed to protect,” ACOBA said.

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In his original submissions to ACOBA on 16 October, Heappey said he “shouldn’t have signed a contract” prior to seeking out the advice of the committee and had yet to commence work at HPO Technologies nor received any renumeration for participating in an “orientation” meeting.

Heappey noted that his contract with HPO Technologies could be “immediately terminated by either side” should ACOBA find the role incompatible.

Move from public to private sector commonplace

According to its website, HPO Technologies works to deliver “cutting-edge solutions in human performance optimization”, across the defence, health, and corporate sectors. The company is majority owned by London-based investment firm NM Capital.

The move from public sector to the private space is commonplace, with UK government officials, MPs, and former military servicepeople regularly transitioning upon completion of their tenure in the military services or public office.

In October 2024 former UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace was announced to have joined defence focused private investment fund the BOKA Group, as a partner. Wallace served as UK Defence Secretary from 2019-2023.