Labour Infrastructure Forum investigated over £9,500 sponsorship packages

Mace | 22nd August 2025 | Politics
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The lobbying watchdog has launched an investigation into the Labour Infrastructure Forum after a Times exposé revealed companies were offered private meetings with senior Labour figures for nearly £9,500.

The Labour Infrastructure Forum is under investigation by the UK’s lobbying regulator following revelations that it offered businesses private meetings with senior Labour figures as part of sponsorship deals worth almost £9,500. The inquiry was triggered after a Times investigation exposed the arrangements.

A leaked prospectus obtained by reporters detailed a sponsorship package priced at £7,850 plus VAT that promised a private breakfast or dinner roundtable with an influential Labour figure. The documents also advertised opportunities for companies to pay up to £30,000 plus VAT to sponsor Westminster receptions with the promise of shaping discussions.

The Labour Infrastructure Forum is run by Bradshaw Advisory staff and has an advisory council of Labour MPs and former senior party officials. Although it presents itself as a think tank, it has marketed its ability to connect sponsors with policymakers since its launch last year. The group is not registered as a lobbying entity.

The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists confirmed it had opened a formal investigation into whether the forum’s activities amounted to unregistered consultant lobbying. The registrar has the power to issue enforcement notices and publish findings once the inquiry is concluded.

Since its launch in September 2024, the forum has hosted events attended by Treasury chief secretary Darren Jones …

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