June Raine

  Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

26 February 2026

Paid appointment with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Application under the Business Appointment Rules from Dame June Raine DBE, FMedSci, former Chief Executive at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. 

Thank you for submitting an application for advice under the Business Appointment Rules (the Rules) to the Civil Service Commission (the Commission) on behalf of Dame June Raine DBE, FMedSci, formerly Chief Executive at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an arm’s length body of the Department of Health and Social Care. The application is for a paid, part-time role as a Non-Executive Director at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH). Further detail on the content of the application is in the Annex. The Commission’s advice is required as Dame June is a former civil servant at SCS Pay Band 3. Her last day of service was 30 April 2025. 

The purpose of the Rules is to protect the integrity of the government. They aim to avoid any reasonable concerns that: a civil servant may be influenced in their official duties by the risk of reward; a civil servant may improperly exploit access to information; and an organisation may gain an improper influence through the employment of a civil servant. 

The Rules state that advice must be sought before an appointment is accepted or announced. By taking up this role without prior advice, Dame June has acted in breach of these Rules. The Commission has agreed to consider this application retrospectively following the applicant’s acknowledgement of this breach. These conditions apply with immediate effect from the date of this letter.

The Commission’s advice¹ is that the appointment should be made subject to the following conditions: 

1. Privileged information – Dame June should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of herself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to her from her time in office.
2. Lobbying – For two years from her last day in office, until 30 April 2027, Dame June should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government or its arm’s length bodies on behalf of OUH (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients). She should also not use, directly or indirectly, her contacts in the government and/or civil service to influence policy, secure business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage OUH (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients). 
3. Bids and contracts – For two years from her last day in the civil service, until 30 April 2027, Dame June should not provide advice to OUH on a bid or contract relating to the UK government or its arm’s length bodies.

The Rules set out that civil servants must abide by the Commission’s advice. It is Dame June’s personal responsibility to manage the propriety of any appointment and to understand any other rules and regulations she may be subject to in parallel with the Commission’s advice. 

Dame June must seek advice if she proposes to extend or otherwise change her role with the organisation. Once this appointment has been publicly announced or taken up, the letter will be published on the Civil Service Commission’s website.

Yours sincerely, 

Kate Owen

Chief Executive

Annex A: The application

Applicant assessment 

1. According to its website, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) is a teaching trust providing general and specialist clinical care across four hospital sites in Oxfordshire. In partnership with the University of Oxford, it also functions as a leading center for medical research and healthcare education.
2. As a Non-Executive Director, Dame June will: 

• uphold governance standards, compliance, and risk management;
• provide independent judgement on strategy and resources;
• apply external experience, set strategic priorities, and provide entrepreneurial leadership within risk controls; 
• monitor management’s structure, performance, and conduct; 
• work with the Council of Governors and act as a Trust ambassador;
• decide on appropriate levels of remuneration for Executive Directors;
• chair or participate in sub-committees; and 
• engage in all Board discussions.

3. Dame June confirmed her role will not involve contact with government. 

4. As Chief Executive at MHRA, Dame June was the most senior executive responsible for the safety, quality, and efficacy of all medicines and medical devices in the UK. As CEO, Dame June’s primary duties included making final regulatory decisions, monitoring patient safety, and positioning the UK as a global leader in life sciences and healthcare innovation. 

5. Dame June stated she was not responsible for regulatory, funding or any other decisions affecting OUH at any time in her last two years in the civil service. 

CSC analysis

6. Retrospective application. The Commission notes that Dame June took up this appointment before submitting an application or receiving advice. Dame June subsequently acknowledged this error and retrospectively submitted her application on 13 January 2026. The Commission has agreed to consider the application on this basis.

7. Application level. As a Level 1 application for a non-executive charitable role, the Commission’s analysis applies the principle that this category of appointment is generally recognised as posing a lower risk to government integrity. 

8. Risk of reward. Dame June stated she had no involvement in policy development or contractual or commercial decisions affecting OUH while at MHRA. The risk that the offer was made as a reward for decisions made during her time in office is low. 

9. Access to information. As former Chief Executive at MHRA, Dame June would have been exposed to some privileged information. The currency of this information is likely to be limited as it has been over eight months since she left the civil service. The standard privileged information ban mitigates any risks around her access. 

10. Improper influence. OUH has various contractual and regulatory relationships with the UK government, including through funding it receives from the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care². As the former Chief Executive of MHRA, Dame June would have a network of contacts in government that could provide an unfair advantage to OUH. However, Dame June stated there will be no contact with government in her proposed role. The risk is therefore mitigated by the standard conditions. 

1. See Advice under the Business Appointment Rules for details applying to all advice issued by the Civil Service Commission. ↩︎
2. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, ‘Oxford BRC gets £86.6m funding for healthcare research’, https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/news/articles/1833/ ↩︎

  Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

26 February 2026

Unpaid appointment with Lancaster University: Application under the Business Appointment Rules from Dame June Raine DBE, FMedSci, former Chief Executive at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. 

Thank you for submitting an application for advice under the Business Appointment Rules (the Rules) to the Civil Service Commission (the Commission) on behalf of Dame June Raine DBE, FMedSci, formerly Chief Executive at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an arm’s length body of the Department of Health and Social Care. The application is for an unpaid, part-time role as a Council Member at Lancaster University. Further detail on the content of the application is in the Annex. The Commission’s advice is required as Dame June is a former civil servant at SCS Pay Band 3. Her last day of service was 30 April 2025. 

The purpose of the Rules is to protect the integrity of the government. They aim to avoid any reasonable concerns that: a civil servant may be influenced in their official duties by the risk of reward; a civil servant may improperly exploit access to information; and an organisation may gain an improper influence through the employment of a civil servant. 

The Rules state that advice must be sought before an appointment is accepted or announced. By taking up this role without prior advice, Dame June has acted in breach of these Rules. The Commission has agreed to consider this application retrospectively following the applicant’s acknowledgement of this breach. These conditions apply with immediate effect from the date of this letter.

The Commission’s advice¹ is that the appointment should be made subject to the following conditions: 

1. Privileged information – Dame June should not draw on (disclose or use for the benefit of herself or the persons or organisations to which this advice refers) any privileged information available to her from her time in office.
2. Lobbying – For two years from her last day in office, until 30 April 2027, Dame June should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK government or its arm’s length bodies on behalf of Lancaster University (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients). She should also not use, directly or indirectly, her contacts in the government and/or civil service to influence policy, secure business/funding or otherwise unfairly advantage Lancaster University (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients). 
3. Bids and contracts – For two years from her last day in the civil service, until 30 April 2027, Dame June should not provide advice to Lancaster University on a bid or contract relating to the UK government or its arm’s length bodies.

The Rules set out that civil servants must abide by the Commission’s advice. It is Dame June’s personal responsibility to manage the propriety of any appointment and to understand any other rules and regulations she may be subject to in parallel with the Commission’s advice. 

Dame June must seek advice if she proposes to extend or otherwise change her role with the organisation. Once this appointment has been publicly announced or taken up, the letter will be published on the Civil Service Commission’s website.

Yours sincerely, 

Kate Owen

Chief Executive

Annex A: The application

Applicant assessment

1. According to its website, Lancaster University is a public research university located in North West England. 
2. As a Council Member, Dame June will: 

• Actively participate in deliberations to make collective decisions.
• Promote Lancaster University’s values to ensure sustainable, inclusive, principled delivery of objectives and strategy; and
• Ensure Council business aligns with good practice, governance, and internal policies, seeking advice as needed. 

3. Dame June confirmed her role will not involve contact with government. 

4. As Chief Executive at MHRA, Dame June was the most senior executive responsible for the safety, quality, and efficacy of all medicines and medical devices in the UK. As CEO, Dame June’s primary duties included making final regulatory decisions, monitoring patient safety, and positioning the UK as a global leader in life sciences and healthcare innovation. 

5. Dame June stated she was not responsible for regulatory, funding or any other decisions affecting Lancaster University at any time in her last two years in the civil service. 

CSC analysis

6. Retrospective application. The Commission notes that Dame June took up this appointment before submitting an application or receiving advice. Dame June subsequently acknowledged this error and retrospectively submitted her application on 13 January 2026. The Commission has agreed to consider the application on this basis.

7. Application level. As a Level 1 application for an unpaid role, the Commission’s analysis applies the principle that this category of appointment is generally recognised as posing a lower risk to government integrity. 

8. Risk of reward. The role as a Council Member at Lancaster University is unpaid. Dame June stated she had no involvement in policy development or contractual or commercial decisions affecting Lancaster University while at MHRA. Therefore, the risk that the offer was made as a reward for decisions made during her time in office is low. 

9. Access to information. As former Chief Executive at MHRA, Dame June would have been exposed to some privileged information. The currency of this information is likely to be limited as it has been over eight months since she left the civil service. The standard privileged information ban mitigates any risks around her access. 

10. Improper influence. As a public research university, Lancaster University has various contractual and regulatory relationships with the UK government, including through the receipt of quality-related research funds and Higher Education Innovation Funding². As the former Chief Executive of MHRA, Dame June would have a network of contacts in government that could provide an unfair advantage to Lancaster University. However, the role is unpaid and Dame June stated there will be no contact with government in her proposed role. The risk is therefore mitigated by the standard conditions. 

1. See Advice under the Business Appointment Rules for details applying to all advice issued by the Civil Service Commission. ↩︎
2. UK Research and Innovation, ‘UKRI funding for Lancaster University’, https://funding.re.ukri.org/files/html/grant-data-tables-2025-to-2026/lancaster-university#:~:text=QR%20funding%20for%20National%20Research,and%20Collections%20Fund%20(%C2%A3)%200 ↩︎