Tim Yeo 'totally rejects' accusations he offered to use position to introduce business people to members of the government Conservative MP Tim Yeo today said he "totally rejects" allegations he breached lobbying rules and confirmed he has referred himself to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. In a statement released by Mr Yeo, who pulled out of broadcast interviews this morning, he rebutted claims made against him by the Sunday Times newspaper. "I want to make clear that I totally reject these allegations," he said. The Sunday Times has chosen to quote very selectively from a recording obtained clandestinely during a conversation of nearly an hour and a half in a restaurant with two undercover reporters who purported to be representing a client from South Korea. My lawyer requested the whole recording from which these extracts were obtained but this has not been given. The whole recording would show the context of the conversation and demonstrate clearly that at no stage did I agree or offer to work for the fictitious company these undercover reporters claimed to be representing, still less did I commit to doing so for a day a month as the article claims. Yeo faced allegations that he indicated he could use his position as chair of the Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee to introduce business people to members of the government, after reportedly being filmed by undercover journalists posing as a private firm. The Sunday Times claimed that Mr Yeo was secretly videotaped telling their undercover journalists that he was close to "really all the key players in the UK in government" and could introduce them to "almost everyone" they needed to "get hold of in this country." The former environment minister was reportedly approached by Sunday Times reporters who claimed to be representatives for a solar energy company. The paper alleges that they told him they were a green company interested in engaging him in relation to considering new laws to boost business, for a £7,000 fee per day. In a conversation recorded by reporters Mr Yeo appears to inform them that: "If you want to meet the right people, I can facilitate all those introductions and I can use the knowledge I get from what is quite an active network of connections." The paper also alleges that Mr Yeo was filmed telling the reporters that he had coached John Smith, managing director of GB Railfreight, on what to say before he gave evidence to the Energy and Climate Change Committee in May, of which Mr Yeo is chairman. He is also a paid director and shareholder of the firm's parent company, Eurotunnel. According to the paper, he excused himself from asking questions in the committee hearing because of a conflict of interest. The undercover reporters withdrew their offer of work to Mr Yeo in an email the following morning, to which he replied six hours later and said he was "relieved" to hear that the work was no longer available because it spared him "some embarrassment." It was increasingly apparent to me during our talk that what you were seeking was someone to advance your interests by lobbying. This is a function which is not compatible with my position as an MP and chair of a select committee. I was going to email you later today to explain this but your email has removed the need for me to do so. Specifically addressing the allegation that he coached a client, Mr Yeo said it was "totally untrue." "The person concerned is John Smith, Managing Director of GB Rail Freight, a subsidiary of Groupe Eurotunnel SA, of which I have been a director and shareholder since 2007," he said. I travelled with John Smith and two other people in the cab of a freight train for three hours on May 16, five days before he appeared before my Committee. I spoke briefly to Mr Smith about his forthcoming appearance in front of the Committee to explain that because of the business connection between us I would not take part in questioning him. I did not want him to think that my silence indicated a lack of interest in what he was saying. I did not 'coach' John Smith on this or any other occasion. He is not a 'paying client' as the Sunday Times alleges but a business colleague. Like many business executives giving evidence to Select Committees he sought advice from the public affairs company retained for the purpose by GB Rail Freight. Lobbying in parliament is not illegal, providing that money is not offered in exchange for a member acting as an advocate. There is no suggestion that GB Railfreight did anything wrong. In a statement, a spokesperson for the company said: "At the evidence sessions of the Energy and Climate Change Committee, GBRF made the same arguments that we consistently make in submissions, articles and on the record time and again."