BLAIR MCDOUGALL MP LABOUR MINISTER GDS BUCK PASSING GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONALISED CORRUPTION DIGITAL SERVICES POST OFFICES SMALL BUSINESSES PINs PERSONAL INDENTIFICATION NUMBERS COMPANIES HOUSE SCANDAL DIRECTORS AT RISK

It is alleged that the GDS has deliberately engineered in a software mismatch to enable Companies House to be able to fine companies and directors, and is some cases to target specific companies and directors, such as to make their enterprises inoperable. In the process generating income for a potholed and rutted economy. This process of buck-passing, or institutional ping-pong is is known as "Vampire" politics, due to the blood sucking nature of the practice. The buck-passing, being designed to wear a complainant down. To drain them of energy, rather than to deal with the issues that are making Britain less attractive to investors, and tourists.

That this systematic targeting of companies in the United Kingdom, began with Rishi Sunack, in not supplying the usual warning letters that were previously relied upon, in the full knowledge that millions of pounds of income from fines would be generated, as late filing fees. The proof of which is the rapidity of letters sent to companies, the moment a filing date is missed. Such agenda, allegedly, instigated for no other reason than to inconvenience UK companies and cost them more money to operate. Where, before such, vampire tactics, the UK was a safer place to do business, with companies house operating on a friendlier basis. Making the UK a hostile place to conduct, or locate a business.

Subject: Urgent: GDS Identity‑Handover Failure Preventing Companies House PIN Issuance

Dear Minister,

We are writing to request urgent intervention regarding a systemic failure affecting the Government Digital Service (GDS) identity‑verification handover to Companies House. We need your help.

Given the well‑documented Ombudsman findings on inter‑departmental buck‑passing and fragmented case handling, I am writing to all responsible ministers simultaneously to ensure coordinated resolution.

Three separate companies registered at the same address in Sussex have directors who were each successfully identity‑verified at the Post Office. Despite this, none of the directors received their Personal Identification Numbers (PINs), which are required to file Confirmation Statements.

We have been passed around in Companies House, and received no replies from the Secretaries of State, to letters posted Special Delivery. You may care to agree that this is hardly a transparent response, indicative of institutionalised "Buck-Passing", from one Government department to another, in the hope of wearing complainants down.

This pattern strongly indicates a failure in the GDS → Companies House identity‑token transfer, rather than a postal issue. Without the PINs, the companies are legally unable to meet statutory filing obligations and are exposed to penalties or involuntary strike‑off through no fault of their own.

Companies House say this is nothing to do with them, though subject of formal complaint. They are threatening prosecution. And have already collected £375 in fines. Making the UK less attractive for companies, and more expensive to operate than other European states.

We therefore request:

a) Immediate investigation into the GDS identity‑handover process for the affected directors.

b) Urgent re‑issue of the relevant PINs, by post and by secure digital means where possible.

c) Written assurance that no enforcement action will be taken while this failure is being resolved.

d) Confirmation of whether an address‑level or batch‑level error has occurred within GDS systems.

Given the statutory deadlines involved, we would be grateful for your urgent assistance. Please see the correspondence attached, from Companies House, to confirm that they say they are not to blame for this matter, and that they either will not, or cannot (by virtue of departmental responsibility) raise this issue with yourselves, or correctly identify those responsible. In so doing, confirming that there is no appeal process, safety net, no support, or back up, for when the system fails. Thus rendering the system dysfunctional.

We imagine that these cases may help you to identify the problem, that may be facing many other directors.

Please can you help us to comply with the requirements of Companies House and the DVLA, and ensure that the PINs that were not issues, will now be sent by post to the affected directors, and by email, should that help to prove the system is workable.

Yours sincerely,

1. Minister for the Cabinet Office
Responsible for GDS and GOV.UK One Login.
This is the most important minister in the chain.

2. Minister of State for DSIT
Responsible for digital infrastructure and cross‑government digital policy.

3. Secretary of State for DSIT
Top‑level oversight of digital identity policy.

4. Secretary of State for Business and Trade - Liz Kendall
Because Companies House ultimately sits under this department.

5. CEO of Companies House
Operational responsibility.

6. Your constituency MP
This adds political weight and ensures the complaint cannot be ignored.

You may also copy to:

- CEO, Companies House

- Your constituency MP

- The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (if no reply after 8 weeks)

MP for East Renfrewshire Blair McDougall is the government’s new small business minister.

He was appointed as a minister in Keir Starmer’s reshuffle.

He takes over from Gareth Thomas MP who was appointed as minister for services, small businesses and exports in July 2024.

McDougall’s full title is minister for small business and economic transformation.

McDougall, was first elected to Parliament in the July 2024 general election, has some self-employment experience.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he was a self-employed consultant between 2016 and 2024 “working across the UK and internationally to help organisations with their strategy and communications”. He offered an “executive speechwriting service for executives in NGOS, the private sector and progressive politics.”

The small business minister job is a key one following the recent publication of the government’s small business plan for how ministers intend to support small companies and entrepreneurs.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Small Business and Economic Transformation)

His portfolio includes:

Industrial Strategy implementation
Industrial Strategy Council
entrepreneurs and small businesses
scale-ups
access to finance
cooperatives and non-financial mutuals
regulation
corporate governance
insolvency
Post Office
postal services
Public bodies:

British Business Bank
Companies House
The Insolvency Service
Financial Reporting Council
Regulatory Policy Committee
Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies
Small Business Commissioner
Post Office

Department for Business and Trade

https://www.facebook.com/blairforeastren/

1. Employment and earnings

- Role, work or services: Work as consultant delivering international aid programmes. From: 17 March 2024. Until: 22 March 2024. Payer: East West Management Institute, Georgia. (Organisation for managing and delivering governance and development aid.), PQ5V+6HF, Kote Marjanishvili St, Tbilisi, Georgia. (Registered 1 August 2024)
Payment expected: £3,600 Completed or provided on: 17 March 2024. Hours: 48 hrs The final amount paid may vary slightly due to currency exchange. (Registered 1 August 2024)

- Role, work or services: Work as as consultant delivering international governance aid programmes for democratic activists in Belarus, Kosovo and Serbia. From: 15 February 2024. Until: 2 April 2024. Payer: National Democratic Institute (An organisation for the delivery of governance aid internationally by various Western Governments.), 455 Massachusetts Ave, NW, 8th Floor Washington, DC 20001-2621 (Registered 1 August 2024)
Payment expected: £7,800 This is for work with democratic activists done across the three different country programmes for Belarus, Serbia and Kosovo. The amount received may vary slightly due to currency exchange. Completed or provided on: 15 February 2024. Hours: 104 hrs. (Registered 1 August 2024)

- Role, work or services: Writer Payer: Subscribers to my newsletter. (This payment is the aggregate subscription payments of around 50 subscribers to my newsletter.), private address (Registered 3 August 2024)

2. (a) Support linked to an MP but received by a local party organisation or indirectly via a central party organisation

Name of donor: 89Up Ltd Address of donor: 1st Floor, 66-68 Pentonville Road, London N1 9PR. Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £2,900 Donor status: company, registration 06886828 (Registered 31 July 2024)

2. (b) Any other support not included in Category 2(a)

Name of donor: Francesca Perrin Address of donor: private Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £1,000 Date received: 21 February 2024 Date accepted: 21 February 2024 Donor status: individual (Registered 31 July 2024)

Name of donor: Francesca Perrin Address of donor: private Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £15,000 Date received: 10 February 2024 Date accepted: 10 February 2024 Donor status: individual (Registered 31 July 2024)

Miscellaneous

- Unpaid Director of Uyghur Campaign Ltd. (Registered 31 July 2024)

- Chair of Stop Uyghur Genocide Charity. This is an unpaid role. (Registered 31 July 2024)

- Member of Eastwood Scouts District Council. This is an unpaid role. Date interest arose: 27 January 2025 (Registered 5 February 2025)

- Member of the Executive Committee of the British Group of the Interparliamentary Union. This is an unpaid role. Date interest arose: 28 January 2025 (Registered 5 February 2025)

- Appointment as a patron of Hong Kong Watch. Date interest arose: 10 March 2025 (Registered 14 March 2025)

According to Wikipedia, Blair McDougall was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Business and Trade on 7 September 2025. He was elected as the MP for East Renfrewshire in July 2024.

Blair McDougall (born 3 June 1978) is a Scottish Labour Party politician and former political adviser who has served as the Member of Parliament for East Renfrewshire since 2024. He is best known as head strategist to the Better Together campaign during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. He has served as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Business and Trade since 2025.

In January 2020, Labour MP Jess Phillips hired McDougall as Scotland adviser for her unsuccessful leadership campaign.

McDougall announced in July 2023 that he was running to be the Labour candidate for East Renfrewshire at the 2024 United Kingdom general election. He was elected as MP for East Renfrewshire after beating incumbent Kirsten Oswald.

In 2024 until he became an MP, McDougall was a senior strategist at political lobbying firm Arden Strategies. According to his register of members interests, McDougall worked "as a consultant delivering international governance aid programmes for democratic activists in Belarus, Kosovo and Serbia", on behalf of the National Democratic Institute from February to April 2024. He also worked as a consultant for the East West Management Institute, based in Georgia, USA.

Nick Thomas Symonds - responsible person?

Ian Murray - responsible person?

https://www.smeweb.com/blair-mcdougall-mp-named-as-the-governments-new-small-businesses/