Money from private sources as damaging as expenses from the public purse

29 April 2009 Gordon Brown’s proposed reforms to improve standards and increase transparency in politics do not go far enough to restore public trust, says the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency. Tomorrow (30 April 09) MPs are set to debate, for example, whether all MPs with a second income should declare “a full description of who paid and what for”. ALT is calling for greater public scrutiny of the flow of private money into politics, which can lead to the public perception that access and influence can be bought.   The Alliance is calling for a mandatory register of lobbyists in the UK. Over 150 MPs have so far petitioned the government for greater transparency in lobbying through a mandatory register (EDM 563). David Miller of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency says: “If politicians want to regain public trust, we need to know what MPs are being privately paid to do. People are within their rights to think in some cases it might be to influence policy. Money is at the heart of public mistrust, but it’s not just bathplugs, dodgy films or second homes. We need to know in whose interests they are working – their own, the public’s, or the private interests and businesses that pay them.” Donations to politicians from powerful interest groups, such as business, also lead to the perception that politicians are for sale. For example, shadow chancellor George Osborne claimed a staffing allowance of £79,000 from the taxpayer last year. At the same time, he also accepted donations of nearly half a million pounds for the express purpose of staffing his office. The donations came from a handful of bankers and businessmen, including hedge fund manager Hugh Sloane and banking heiress Serena Rothschild. The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency is calling for greater transparency in the relationship between lobbying by private interest and politicians, through a mandatory register of lobbyists.   In January the Public Administration Select Committee recommend the introduction of a mandatory register of lobbying activity. Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson is overseeing the Government’s response. He has indicated that it will be published soon.