Coalition of campaign groups and industry bodies urge new Prime Minister to overhaul Westminster lobbying laws

A coalition of civil society organisations and industry bodies has written to new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, calling on him to commit to implement the recommendations of the Ethics and Integrity Commission's (EIC) review of lobbying reform as a matter of urgency.

In the letter, the coalition - made up of Unlock Democracy, Transparency International UK, Spotlight on Corruption, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations - argues that reforming the 2014 Lobbying Act would be an early and concrete way for the new Prime Minister to make good on his pledge to fix a "broken" Westminster and begin rebuilding public trust in politics.

The EIC's independent review, commissioned by outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, was published on 9 July and calls for a comprehensive overhaul of the UK's lobbying rules. Its recommendations include:

• expanding the statutory register to cover all lobbyists, including the in-house lobbyists who currently fall outside the rules entirely;
• widening the scope of the rules beyond ministers and permanent secretaries to include special advisers;
• removing the VAT exemption that allows for unregistered foreign lobbying;
• requiring meaningful disclosure of lobbying activity, including the subject of meetings and correspondence; and
• creating a single, searchable database bringing together both those who lobby and those who are lobbied.

The coalition says committing to these reforms would deliver on Labour's manifesto pledge to clean up politics and support the Prime Minister's own promise to overhaul a Westminster system that has "failed the public for too long".

The letter - published in full below - notes that the reforms could be legislated quickly and already command support across the political spectrum, from parliamentarians, transparency campaigners, and from within the professional lobbying industry itself. It warns that recent lobbying scandals, which have damaged public trust in both Parliament and the business community, have been able to occur under the "failed" 2014 Act.

LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER

Dear Mr Burnham,

Committing to implement the Ethics and Integrity Commissions (EIC) recommendations on lobbying reform

You have said plainly that Westminster is broken and that your task is to fix politics. As you succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, committing to overhauling the UK's lobbying rules would be an early and concrete way to follow through on that promise and begin rebuilding trust in our politics.

We write on behalf of a coalition of organisations from across civil society and industry that has come together to make the case for reforming the 2014 Lobbying Act. Collectively, our research lays bare how weak these lobbying rules are. Public trust in politics is fragile, and the opacity surrounding the relationship between the political and business worlds only contributes to that scepticism.

The recent Ethics and Integrity Commissions review presents a significant opportunity for reform. Commissioned by the outgoing Prime Minister, its independent review into lobbying, disclosure, and access to government published its recommendations 9 July. It calls for a comprehensive overhaul of the UK's lobbying rules, including:

• expanding the statutory register to cover all lobbyists, including the in-house lobbyists who carry out the overwhelming majority of lobbying and currently fall outside the rules entirely;
• widening the scope of the rules beyond ministers and permanent secretaries to include special advisers;
• removing the VAT exemption, that allows for unregistered foreign lobbying;
• requiring meaningful disclosure of lobbying activity, including the subject of meetings and correspondence; and
• creating a single, searchable database bringing together both those who lobby and those who are lobbied.

Committing to implement their recommendations in full would deliver directly on Labour's manifesto pledge to clean up politics, the very promise that led to the Commission being set up. It would also give practical effect to your own commitments to fixing a broken Westminster system that has failed the public for too long.

Few reforms would prove that intent as clearly or as quickly. Accepting the Commission’s recommendations would ensure the public can see who is influencing the government and on whose behalf. It could be legislated quickly and already has support across parties, from organisations concerned about lobbying transparency and from within the professional lobbying industry itself.

Recent lobbying scandals have damaged the public's view of Parliament and the business community and have been able to happen under the failed 2014 Lobbying Act. This is a well-timed opportunity to change that and, in doing so, improve our policy-making process. We hope you will give it your serious consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Tom Brake CEO, Unlock Democracy

Hazel Cheeseman Chief Executive, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)

Duncan Hames Senior Director of Policy and UK Programmes, Transparency International UK

Susan Hawley Executive Director, Spotlight on Corruption

Alastair McCapra CEO, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)