Anti-corruption campaigners on Tuesday condemned the government for failing to take action against a former Halliburton subsidiary implicated in bribery over a giant Nigerian gas project backed by British taxpayers’ money.

The Export Credits Guarantee Department – which provided $212m (£120m) of insurance cover to support Middlesex-based MW Kellogg – said there was no legal basis to pursue the company even though a former senior executive last week admitted involvement in corruption.