Introducing the Political Consultants Index

Sarah Richardson | 4th May 2021 | Westminster Index
Unsplash: Matt Milton
Unsplash: Matt Milton

As political lobbying receives new scrutiny in the wake of Greensill, our peer-reviewed Mace Top 100 Political Consultants Index explores the best professional advocates moving and shaking Westminster policy.

In a year where the best connection any consultant could wish for was decent broadband, the public affairs industry has come through three lockdowns in robust shape. Great advice which protects and promotes a business is always highly prized, perhaps even more so during a pandemic. Add to this the legal and regulatory uncertainty triggered by Brexit and, for the best lobby firms, business is booming.

The Mace compiled its list of the Top 100 Political Consultants with the input of specialists who had a combined 100 years of industry experience. We asked senior practitioners: who do you admire? Who do you find yourself up against in pitches? Whose work has changed policy and politics? While a list like this will always be subjective, the consultants we have included have been endorsed by their peers. To keep its credibility, the list will continue to evolve, and form part of the 2021 Westminster Index, to be published later this year as the definitive Who’s Who guide to British politics and public affairs.

Changing times

The list’s dynamic nature reflects not only how practitioners move between in-house roles and consultancies, but also how the industry is evolving. According to Francis Ingham, director general of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), there have been significant changes in the last five years, with “a lot less relying on …

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