LOBBYING LANDSCAPE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

At present, UK citizens have little opportunity to understand who is lobbying whom, how, for what purpose and with what funds. While the majority of lobbying is legitimate and making a valuable contribution to policy-making, lobbying abuses and lapses in public ethics appear to occur too frequently.

Much of the problem in the UK is with rules governing politicians and officials.

The UK faces a widely acknowledged crisis of trust in politics and political parties. While the causes of this are complex, there is no doubt that the lobbying environment in the UK and the frequency of lobbying scandals that occur in the UK, play a major role in damaging public faith in the political and policy-making process.

The current rules on lobbying do not address nor prevent a great deal of conduct that gives rise to corruption risks :

1. All UK and devolved legislators and all but the senior civil service officials may keep lobbying meetings concealed from the public, unless a specific Freedom of Information request is submitted.
2. Apart from in Northern Ireland, legislators across the UK are permitted to retain conflicts of interest so long as they are declared.
3. Members of the Scottish Parliament may avoid registering gifts and hospitality received by their partners and spouses.
4. Members of the Houe of Commons and Scottish Parliament and the Welsh and Northern Irish Assembly are allowed to receive payments for providing advice to lobbyists.
5. All lobbyists in the UK may keep any information about whom they have lobbied and on what issues they have lobbied concealed from the public.
6. In-house lobbyists do not have to register any details regardless of whom they lobby.
7. There is no requirement for lobbyists to report their expenditure on lobbying, including gifts and hospitality to public officials.
8. There is no obligation on lobbyists to publish how they have used secondments or advisers placed within government to influence policy.
9. Political parties can accept donations without any limit.
10. Major party donors can be offered positions in the legislature through appointment in the House of Lords.

Summary

• The House of Commons is the weakest performer in legislative transparency and integrity in the UK.
• The House of Lords has the second strongest regime, as a result of recent changes.
• The disclosure regime for UK Ministers is the strongest relative to others across the UK nations.
• Northern Irish Assembly code is the strongest legislator code, but the Northern Irish Ministerial code is the weakest.
• Scotland and Wales are mid-ranking for both legislator codes and for ministerial codes.

Laws Governing Lobbying 

1. The Lobbying Act only defines a narrow 1% of lobbyists.
2. The Act does not concern itself with MPs or civil servants.
3. Lobbyists are not asked to disclose who is funding, how much, when and on what subject.
4. There is a lack of clarity over what constitutes direct contact with a Minister or Permanent Secretary.
5. Arrangements for monitoring compliance are not set out.
6. The sanction of £ 7,500 is not a strong enough deterrent.
7. There is little indication of the expected costs of the Registrar or how they will be met.

Possible Remedy (According to Transparency International)

• All UK parliamentary chambers and assemblies should at least rise to the best practice of what already exists in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast - replacing the current ineffective and confusing patchwork that exists across the UK.
• If politicians are serious about cleaning up politics, they need to close the lobbying loopholes that open the door to corruption.
• More effective transparency on the part of lobbyists
• Restrictions on political financing.
• More effective regulation of the revolving door.
• Mandatory training in ethics and integrity.