Cameron must now support real transparency in lobbying PDF Print E-mail

Tamasin Cave, 8 February 2010

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."

 

"The lunches, the hospitality, the quiet word in your ear, the ex-ministers and ex-advisors for hire, helping big business find the right way to get its way. In this party, we believe in competition, not cronyism. We believe in market economics, not crony capitalism. So we must be the party that sorts all this out.”

So far, the Conservative Party has only gone as far as saying that state regulation should be considered if the lobbying industry itself fails to improve transparency, in other words through the failed system of self-regulation.

David Cameron is right to warn that corporate lobbying in Parliament is "the next big scandal waiting to happen". But if he wants to be seen as a reformer - and is serious about listening to ordinary people - the Conservative Party must pledge to introduce a mandatory register of lobbyists as soon as possible so that the public can see who is lobbying whom, and the extent to which national policies are being influenced by commercial forces.

A debate on the ‘Future Regulation of Lobbying’ is being held tonight from 6pm at the CIPR Public Relations Centre, 52-53 Russell Square, London WC1.

 

 Reminder: Vote now for transparency in lobbying at the Power2010 campaign.

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