(Adds Downing Street confirmation, background from media
reports)
By Kanishka Singh
April 23 (Reuters) - Britain's special envoy for the Gulf
Edward Lister is leaving his role and departing the government,
a Downing Street spokesman said in an emailed statement late on
Friday.
Lister, a close aide of British Prime Minister Boris
Johnson, was appointed as the special envoy for the Gulf only in
February and was also appointed as chief of staff for an interim
period prior to that.
The statement from Downing Street made no mention of the
reason for Lister's departure, but the development, reported
first by the Daily Telegraph https://bit.ly/3dNAL0Q, comes as
Lister faced increasing scrutiny from the press over his work in
the private sector.
"The Prime Minister is hugely grateful for Lord Lister's
dedicated service over many years. He has been an outstanding
servant to the country, to the Government and to the Prime
Minister when he was Mayor of London", a Downing Street
spokesman said in the statement late on Friday.
The Telegraph reported earlier that Lister's departure came
at a time when connections between government figures and the
private sector are being scrutinised.
The newspaper reported that it was learnt recently that
Lister held talks about a six-figure contract with Finsbury
Glover Hering, a public relations and lobbying firm, which has
two offices in the Middle East.
Finsbury could not be reached outside normal business hours.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Ann Maria Shibu in Bengaluru;
Editing by Chris Reese and Diane Craft)