CIPR urges government to prioritise overhaul of lobbying legislation
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has renewed calls for the government to overhaul lobbying legislation following revelations about Liam Fox lobbying the Prime Minister on behalf of the Global Britain Commission.
An article in the Guardian reports that the former Trade Secretary wrote to the Prime Minister in his role as a commissioner of the group to call for tax breaks for exporters. Mr. Fox's membership of the organisation means that no rules were broken.
The CIPR's ‘Lobbying for Good Lobbying’ campaign is calling for an overhaul of lobbying legislation as a way of building greater transparency and openness in our politics.
Serving legislators should not be paid to lobby the government. The conflict of interest is blatant for all to see and does nothing to improve public confidence in our politics. The fact that Liam Fox's lobbying for the Global Britain Commission falls within the rules only exposes those rules as unfit.
The CIPR's 'Lobbying for Good Lobbying' campaign is calling for the government to bring forward recommendations to overhaul lobbying laws and to do so as a priority ahead of the next election.
About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations
Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the world's only Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners with nearly 10,000 members.
The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).