Overwhelming support amongst UK lobbyists for tougher lobbying laws, research reveals
Nearly two-thirds of lobbyists doubt the current regime's ability to identify and act upon breaches, with 81% noting the impact on public trust in politics
Two thirds of UK lobbyists support tougher lobbying transparency rules, according to research published today by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the industry body for UK lobbyists.
Conducted by Opinium, the poll of 250 UK public affairs professionals reveals that 66% of lobbyists support expanding the lobbying register to include both consultant and in-house lobbyists. The poll comes in the wake of allegations involving Peter Mandelson, which have prompted the Government to instruct the Ethics and Integrity Commission to conduct an urgent review into lobbying transparency.
Under the 2014 Lobbying Act, only consultant lobbyists are required to disclose their correspondence with ministers and Permanent Secretaries. With in-house lobbyists exempt, along with any communication with MPs, Special Advisers, Lords and other senior civil servants, the register – designed to let the public see who is seeking to influence whom – is estimated to capture fewer than 4% of lobbying activity. Businesses not registered for VAT and those that can show lobbying is only a small, incidental part of their activities, are also exempt.
Today’s poll reveals that:
- 80% of lobbyists believe correspondence with MPs should be captured, rising to 84% for the Lords
- The poll also revealed support for capturing the lobbying of Director Generals (civil service) (76%); Directors (Civil Service) (80%); SpAds (76%); Opposition leaders (81%); Members of the shadow front bench (80%); Select Committee Chairs (78%); APPG Chairs (79%)
- 72% believe that expanding the registration and transparency requirements would be proportionate
Almost two-thirds (63%) of lobbyists lack confidence that, under the current regime, breaches of lobbying rules will be identified and acted upon. These figures build upon previous research published by the CIPR, which found that the six key exemptions in the Lobbying Act ensured that fewer than 4% of investigations into suspected unregistered lobbying resulted in a civil penalty being imposed.
It’s clear from our survey that the lobbying industry speaks with one voice when it says that the 2014 Lobbying Act is fundamentally broken and needs to be overhauled.
When the Act was being hammered out under the Coalition Government it was blindingly obvious that it simply wouldn’t work. The Act isn’t so much undermined by the odd clause here, or a strange bit of wording there, but is a total failure of design. There are six key exemptions baked into the text – everything from not being registered for VAT through to being able to show lobbying is only a small part of your business - that conspire to keep the overwhelming majority of lobbying off the register and out of public view.
The Act only applies to consultant lobbyists, meaning the many thousands that work in-house, be it at banks, law firms or charities, are able to fire off as many messages to Ministers as they like with no obligation to sign. There is no ability to log correspondence with various civil servants, MPs or SpAds. The Lobbying Act fails to shine even a little light on the unillumined corridors of power.
To put it another way, Westminster – supposedly the mother of all Parliaments – has the least transparent lobbying regime in the West, which is a cause for national shame. What we need isn’t a register that captures a small number of lobbyists, but a register of lobbying activity. We need to ensure that it captures correspondence with SpAds and civil servants, not simply Ministers and Permanent Secretaries.
If a decade-long string of scandals weren’t enough, the events of this year alone have built an unanswerable case for reforming the Lobbying Act. If we want to rebuild public confidence in the political system, which has been repeatedly rocked, we need to start with lobbying. This Government claims that sunlight is the best disinfectant, so it’s beyond time it pulled back the blinds.
The research has been published as part of the CIPR’s Lobbying for Good Lobbying Campaign, which seeks to overhaul Westminster’s lobbying laws. To improve public confidence in politics, which 81% of lobbyists say has been impacted by recent lobbying scandals, the CIPR is calling for:
- A register of all lobbying activity that includes in-house lobbying as well as consultant lobbying
- The lobbying of special advisers and senior civil servants to be included in the register
- The removal of the VAT exemption and the incidental lobbying exemption
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 over 11,000 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).