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The Sunday Times secretly filmed Lord Truscott, one of the four peers who the newspaper revealed were prepared to assist in changing legislation for cash, during a meeting with the undercover reporters in the St James’ Hotel and Club in London on Wednesday January 21, 2009.

The recording shows Truscott telling the reporters, posing as lobbyists, that he will work with them to “facilitate” the amendment to the Business Rates Supplement Bill on behalf of their client.

Discussing the strategy for their lobbying campaign, he says he will help identify the members to talk to so that he and the reporters can approach them. He offers to meet the “Lords people” on his own.

Later he describes how he had previously helped to ensure that the Energy Bill was favourable to a paying client who sells “smart” electricity meters.

The Sunday Times has also released an audio tape recording from the first meeting between Truscott and the two reporters at the House of Lords on Wednesday January 14. He discusses his fee of £2,000 a day, which would have amounted to £72,000 a year for the three-day-a-month contract he eventually proposed.

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