25 March 2012

Lots of commentary today on the latest lobbying scandal involving 'Cash for Cameron', including this from Lord Mandelson on Sky News: 

"I’ve got nothing against people contributing to politics. Some people contribute their time, others contribute money but there has to rules, there has to be transparency."

This is the Mandelson who recently dodged new rules which would force peers to disclose certain business clients. Mandelson runs a consultancy business, Global Counsel. Just as the new rules came in, he switched his entry on the Lords register of interests from one category ('directorship') to another ('paid employment'), sidestepping the requirement to disclose his client list. The FT has the full details. 

This sorry state of affairs has led the Cabinet Office minister Mark Harper, in charge of regulating lobbying, to suggest that he will apply a "Lord Mandelson test" to the Government’s lobbying register plans to ensure they stand up to scrutiny.

Harper was told: “Any lobbying register that doesn’t include Peter Mandelson is going to be subject to ridicule.” 

As it stands, however, the government's plans to open up lobbying are a joke. Although, not a very funny one in light of today's revelations.