Whitehall's revolving door speeds up: ex-ministers and civil servants seeking jobs in private sector doubles The committee also cleared Chris Huhne, a former energy secretary who was found guilty of perjury over a speeding violation earlier this year, to take a job as a consultant to Nationwide Energy Services Limited, which advises on making energy efficient improvements to their homes. Campaigners criticised the increase. Tamasin Cave, director of Spinwatch, said: "This feels like the last chance saloon. Too many very senior public figures are now cashing in on their contacts and knowledge of Government. Where is the public interest benefit? It only serves the private interests that are now paying these formerly taxpayer-funded officials. "When David Cameron vowed to "sort it out" in 2010, is this what he meant? It is only getting worse. There are no rules preventing abuse, no one to monitor whether restrictions imposed by the Committee are followed. The system governing the revolving door is beyond a joke, much like the Government's failed attempt to open up the lobbying industry with a register of lobbyists. The influence business, in which former officials like these play a lead role, is clearly thriving under the Coalition. Lord Lang said that the reshuffle had led to a big increase in ex-ministers and their special advisers applying for permission to take jobs. He added that an "unusually large number of applications from Crown servants can be put down to ongoing reductions in spending across Whitehall and within the armed forces." He also said it was due to an "increasing tendency for Crown servants to take up new appointments after retiring from full-time public service." Lord Lang said: "The Committee remains mindful of the view of successive Governments that, whilst it is in the public interest that both Ministers and Crown servants should be able to move into posts within the private sector and elsewhere, it is also important that there is no cause for suspicion of impropriety in an appointment. Within the limited remit given to it, the Committee takes an independent and careful approach when considering individual applications in order to balance this with the rights of individuals to move into employment without obstacle.