Calls to reform ‘beyond repair’ lobbying rules after freebie-gate
The government should reform the UK’s “beyond repair” lobbying rules in a bid to rebuild public trust in politics in the wake of the freebie-gate scandal, ministers have been urged.
Professional body the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is campaigning for the government to replace the 2014 Lobbying Act with fresh legislation to close loopholes.
The existing law established a register of consultant – or third-party – lobbyists, meaning in-house lobbying, such as from banks, charities, and unions, is exempt.
It also only covers communication with ministers and top civil servants, and excludes contact with MPs, special advisers, mayors and other political figures, the CIPR has highlighted.
CIPR CEO Alastair McCapra described the Act as “so riddled with exemptions that it is basically more loophole than law, with the overwhelming majority of activity flying below the radar… these are not little loopholes, but giant chasms”.
New lobbying register?
He added: “The exemptions are so baked into the text of the Act that it is beyond repair, meaning we need a total overhaul. We need to replace the existing register of lobbyists – and a very small slice of lobbyists at that – with a register of lobbying activity.”
According to research by Transparency International (TI), just four per cent of lobbying activity that takes place in the UK is registered. While the CIPR said their own audit of some 53 investigations into suspected unregistered lobbying by the watchdog, found 96 per cent were exempt from signing the register.
Labour MP Phil Brickell, who is backing calls for lobbying reform, said: “Trust in politics is at an all time low. This is nothing less than an existential threat to the health of our democracy.
“But we now have an opportunity to take the necessary bold steps to put this right, and reform of the lobbying rules must be at the very top of the agenda.”
Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer tightened the rules on declarations of gifts and hospitality received by ministers which will move to being published monthly, in line with the MPs register, following criticism of senior Labour figures receiving free clothes and Taylor Swift tickets.
Government ‘gone quiet’
But McCapra told CityAM while the Labour Party expressed “initial enthusiasm” prior to the election for the wider issue of lobbying reform, they have “gone quiet since taking office”.
He said: “We met with Labour prior to the election to discuss reforming the Lobbying Act, and the mood music at the time was that the party was fully onboard.
“Disappointingly, since taking office, Labour has gone quiet. The initial enthusiasm has been replaced by deafening silence on the issue, even as the party’s poll ratings slip.”
Brickell, a member of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption and responsible tax, also urged the government to make lobbying reform a priority.
“We simply cannot afford to kick the can down the road any longer,” he stressed.
Ministers and officials are aware of calls for lobbying reform, it is understood, and will consider the issues of transparency alongside other work on ethical standards.