The peer later denied that he had commercial interests in any domestic energy firms or in the big six energy companies.
And it was not alone: firms like Ford, Standard Oil, and Bethlehem Steel employed huge numbers of well-paid workers while earning big profits.
The Oman deal is part of a government effort to sell 100 aircraft to the Gulf region in 2013, sales which could be worth more than £6bn to UK firms, Downing Street said in a statement.
There is disagreement over the distance that the positive effects of clustering actually extend to, however, meaning that the generation of synergetic 'cluster effects' (as they are commonly understood) between firms in Manchester and firms in Newcastle for example could prove difficult.
Luxury breaks offering great food and smart hotels are being created by firms such as Fusion Escapes, a three-year-old specialist operator which founder, Rachel Harvey, says was launched "to fill the gaping hole in the travel market for single professionals used to the finer things in life".
They are particularly scathing about the coalition's reliance on the responsibility deal, in which food and drink firms voluntarily agree moves to reduce the harm their products can cause.
The number one and number two cable firms have argued that their merger is necessary in the face of a changing media landscape where more people opt out of cable packages to receive their TV via the internet.
But it is also about making Britain's underlying economic model fairer so, for example, there are a series of measures aimed at taming runaway corporate pay, including forcing firms to offer their staff a seat on the remuneration committee.
Four of the five firms are US corporations operating in Europe.
It pursued US firms doing business with a Pakistani company with no real ties to terrorism.
The goal was to find firms that could be enlisted to "pressure" Fatima.
