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Industry representative bodies the CIPR and PRCA have broadly welcomed Labour’s Manifesto commitment to repeal the Lobbying Act. Published on Monday, the Labour Manifesto section states “We will safeguard our democracy by repealing the Lobbying Act, which has gagged charities, and replace it with a tougher statutory register of lobbyists. We will ban MPs from holding paid directorships and consultancies. And we will reform the legislative process to strengthen the public’s voice and to better hold the government to account.”

Alastair McCapra, CIPR CEO said “Since the Statutory Register of Lobbyists was first introduced, the CIPR, alongside the other representatives of the lobbying industry and transparency campaigners, has called for a universal register of lobbyists as the only viable means of increasing public confidence in decisions made by their elected representatives” continuing by welcoming the “commitment to repeal a poor piece of legislation that does not serve the public interest. We believe the public is entitled to ask whether the current statutory register of lobbyists is what the government originally promised to deliver. Most of the things which have caused public concern about influence over government decisions are not affected by the statutory register as it stands”. McCapra also repeated the “call for a full parliamentary inquiry into the role of lobbying within UK democracy. Any new government should welcome the development of high professional standards and accountability in lobbying, and the CIPR will work with the next government to this end.”

PRCA Director General Francis Ingham said “It is well-known that the Labour Party has had a long held commitment to abolish the existing Lobbying Act, and the PRCA is pleased to have been engaging with Labour on the matter since the start of that process. We welcome the proposals as we have campaigned consistently for a universal register of lobbying, not just one that covers consultant lobbyists. However, the devil is in the detail, and we would welcome further information about how the [Labour Party] plan to go about this. A proper definition of lobbying is a start; and obliterating any misconceptions about how the public affairs industry works would demonstrate a sound understanding of what lobbying really is”.

Ingham went on to point out, however, that “There’s always been a clear danger in the language that Labour uses when it talks about lobbying – as a somehow underhand, disruptive process. We’re pleased to see some shift on the matter, but we need to focus on creating a wider register, not just a ‘tougher’ one. We’re not an industry that needs clamping down on – we’re an industry that is itself campaigning for transparency.”