A new report from the government's Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC) has been welcomed by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) as providing a "comprehensive and positive" change on transparency around lobbying activity. Commissioned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and published this morning, the report - Lobbying, Business Appointment Rules and Disclosure - makes the case for fundamental reforms to the UK’s lobbying regime in line with the CIPR's position and long-running campaign. The CIPR provided written and oral evidence to the commission, and its research is referenced throughout the report.

"After years of campaigning, research, and making the case for lobbying reform, this report is a significant moment that validates our position and our efforts to bring about change."

Commenting, CIPR CEO Alastair McCapra said: "After years of campaigning, research, and making the case for lobbying reform, this report is a significant moment that validates our position and our efforts to bring about change. These recommendations are comprehensive and will positively and fundamentally reshape the relationship between lobbyists and Westminster. If enacted, they would finally deliver the promised light of transparency and a true sense of who is engaging our politics." The report sets out 22 recommendations to improve the transparency and accountability around lobbying. Chief among them is the call for a register of lobbying activity to replace the existing register of consultant lobbyists, arguing that "[a]ny individual or organisation carrying out lobbying activity should be required to register and submit information returns on their lobbying activity". This would mean in-house lobbyists would be required to register their lobbying activity in Westminster for the first time, closing a significant loophole and recognising a key part of the CIPR’s “Lobbying for Good Lobbying” campaign. Other recommendations include: Registration of lobbying targeting special advisers and civil servants at director general or director level; Scrapping the exemption for organisations below the VAT threshold; Scrapping the exemption for communication that is incidental to a business’s main activities; A one-stop, AI-enabled digital register.

"Trust hangs by a thread and the relationship between politics and business contributes significantly to that public scepticism"

McCapra added: "The Ethics and Integrity Commission has recognised the seriousness of the issues. Trust hangs by a thread and the relationship between politics and business contributes significantly to that public scepticism and damages all involved in the important work of informing the policy-making process. The time to talk about building back trust is over. We now need action to deliver on those promises. These recommendations do that and we're incredibly proud that our comprehensive work on this topic has contributed to the debate and to see our headline calls overwhelmingly adopted. "Our work now turns to ensuring that the government and new prime minister, whoever it might be, treats these recommendations as a day-one priority and takes action to begin rebuilding trust in our politics that has been lacking for so long by implementing these recommendations in full."...