A Jewish Conservative MP reportedly lobbied the European Union to grant special regulatory treatment to an energy firm nine months after receiving a donation from one of the company's directors.

According to the Times, in 2018, Andrew Percy wrote to the EU’s power network agency asking it to back a special request by energy company Aquind to be exempt from having to partner the French state transmission company in a £1.2 billion project to lay a cable across the channel and connect the two national power grids.

Such an exemption would have also allowed the firm to operate outside “cap and floor” regulations, which limit maximum profits and provide taxpayers guarantees on company earnings.

However, according to the Times, nine months earlier Mr Percy received a donation of £10,000 to his constituency party from Alexander Termerko, one of Aquind’s directors and a former Russian arms company boss.

Since writing the letter, Mr Percy has reportedly received a further £20,000 from Aquind through his local party, and through his constituency association another £6,000 in 2019.

It is also claimed that in 2014, Mr Percy received a donation of £10,000 to his constituency party from another company, Offshore Newcastle Group, which at the time Mr Temerko, who was born in Ukraine and became a British citizen in 2011, was a director.

Mr Percy told the JC: “Just because somebody donates to a political party doesn't mean that they aren't then allowed to lobby MPs or the government on an issue.

“If we applied that rule then Labour MPs would never be able to advocate on an issue given how much they are personally sponsored by Trade Unions who often fund their campaigns too.

“My only interest in an issue is whether or not a proposal, policy or scheme makes sense and is in the interests or my constituents and the UK.”

Mr Percy said that he “businesses regularly petition me about the UK's high energy costs so of course I have advocated for new forms of supply and generation in the UK to lower those costs, support UK jobs and to green our grid”.

He added that that explained why he had “met with and supported” those behind a variety of green energy projects, “the same goes for an interconnect of which there are a number of projects”.

All donations made by Mr Temerko and Aquind were lawfully and properly declared.