23 March 2010

UPDATE: Labour and the Lib Dems have both committed to introducing a statutory register of lobbyists. Petition David Cameron now to follow suit and commit to introducing a compulsory register if he gets elected.

The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency today publishes an open letter to the three main party leaders calling on them to commit to introducing transparency rules for lobbyists. The letter reads:

To Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg,

The revelation that former Ministers are offering political access for cash is another serious blow to public trust in our political system.

A major first step in cleaning up politics is to introduce compulsory transparency rules for the lobbying industry. The Public Administration Select Committee called for a statutory register of lobbyists some 16 months ago.

The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency (ALT) believes that a statutory register is a necessary first step in allowing public scrutiny of lobbying activity. ALT is therefore calling for an unequivocal commitment from all parties to introduce a statutory register of lobbyists as a matter of urgency in the new parliament.

The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency.

The lobbying industry in the UK is worth £2 billion and involves not just former Ministers, but also Lords, numerous parliamentary candidates and ex civil servants. And yet lobbying in the UK is almost entirely unregulated.

The British public has a right to know who is lobbying whom, and which areas of public life they are seeking to influence. The only way to achieve this is through a statutory register of lobbyists. 

21 March 2010

An investigation by Dispatches and The Sunday Times reveals today that several MPs, including three former Labour Ministers, offered themselves for lobbying work at rates of thousands of pounds a day. Two of them promised access to ministers and boasted of their ability to help change government policies in favour of business. It's also being reported that a Tory grandee Sir John Butterfill has been touting access to Conservative party policy-makers.

Tamasin Cave of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency says:
"David Cameron warned last month that lobbying is 'the next big scandal waiting to happen'. There can be no question now that decisive action must be taken to shine the light of transparency on lobbying in this country as a matter of urgency.

Lobbying in Westminster out of control

David Cameron admitted today that “secret corporate lobbying, like the expenses scandal, goes to the heart of why people are so fed up with politics.”

The Conservative Party must now pledge to support the introduction of a statutory register of lobbyists, as recommended by the influential Public Administration Select Committee (PASC), chaired by Tony Wright MP.

In a speech this morning, Cameron said of lobbying: “It’s an issue that crosses party lines and has tainted our politics for too long...an issue that exposes the far-too-cosy relationship between politics, government, business and money. I’m talking about lobbying – and we all know how it works.