Peer asked British diplomat to help Ghana gold mine in which he held shares

Exclusive: Richard Dannatt may have broken lobbying rules and claimed assistance was ‘in the UK national interest’

A member of the House of Lords asked a senior British diplomat to help a Ghanaian goldmining venture in which he held shares, claiming that it was “in the UK national interest”, the Guardian can disclose.

The revelation will add to concerns about apparent breaches of parliamentary lobbying rules by Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British army.