The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) launched its ‘Lobbying for Good Lobbying’ campaign at an event in Parliament, attended by MPs, journalists, and the lobbying industry.
At the event, CIPR CEO, Alastair McCapra spoke of the need for lobbying reform to build greater transparency and openness in our politics as he outlined the campaign's aim to see a widening of the lobbying register to capture all lobbying activity. "The opportunity to create something better", he said, "rests with all of us".
The #L4GL campaign follows a string of high-profile scandals that have exposed the failures and limitations of the Transparency of Lobbying, non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 (the Lobbying Act). Following a government inquiry and a number of reports recommending changes to the way lobbying activity is captured in the UK, the CIPR is looking to bring parliamentarians and the industry together to act on those recommendations and create a new system that builds public trust.
The launch event saw a panel discussion, chaired by Sam Coates, deputy political editor at Sky News, and featuring Paul Bristow MP, Duncan Hames of Transparency International, and CIPR's 2024 President, Rachael Clamp. The panel and audience debated the issues around lobbying and access including the role of All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs), the accountability of the Lords, the lobbying efforts of Trade Unions, think tanks and charities, and explored the solutions technology could offer.
Duncan Hames, Director of Policy at Transparency International, explained that "as long as [lobbying] operates in the shadows, there will be distrust." Showing his support for the campaign, Paul Bristow MP concluded, "perhaps this is needed to protect our own reputation".
Alastair McCapra, CIPR Chief Executive said:
"It has been nearly 9 years since the Lobbying Act was passed with the intention of improving trust and transparency in our politics - by any measure, it has failed. That is why today we are launching our Lobbying for Good Lobbying campaign. For 9 years, we have been calling for change. Now we're campaigning for it.
We're campaigning for a change to the legislation and a lobbying register that captures all lobbying activity. We're campaigning for greater transparency. And we're campaigning for a level-playing field.
Building trust is for everyone's benefit. Parliamentarians need to trust lobbyists to provide the best information and advice. The public need to trust Parliamentarians that they are meeting with lobbyists to better inform them and their ability to make policy decisions."