Labour demand new lobbying law in wake of Cameron-Greensill scandal
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Labour has demanded the Government introduce a new law at the
Queen’s Speech to tackle cronyism in the wake of the lobbying
scandal involving David Cameron and Greensill. Rachel Reeves,
Labour’s Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is calling
for legislation to expand the scope of the statutory register of
lobbyists, to cover those who commercially lobby government but are
not ‘consultant lobbyists’ – also known as in-house lobbyists.
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Labour has demanded the Government introduce a new law at the Queen’s Speech to tackle cronyism in the wake of the lobbying scandal involving David Cameron and Greensill. Rachel Reeves, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is calling for legislation to expand the scope of the statutory register of lobbyists, to cover those who commercially lobby government but are not ‘consultant lobbyists’ – also known as in-house lobbyists. Current rules mean the former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron may not have technically broken lobbying rules and did not have to declare his activity. despite the huge access Greensill was given to government and its subsequent downfall potentially leaving taxpayers on the hook and thousands of jobs at risk. Work by Transparency International UK estimates that in-house lobbying could constitute around 80% of all lobbying activity. Charities and trade unions have also described the “chilling effect” on their activities from the lobbying act while big business appear to get a free pass on lobbying. And Transparency International UK also point towards how a report from the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee in 2013 – when the proposed register was being debated in Parliament – raised concerns that the register would capture less than 1% of lobbying activity. The party highlighted last week how then-Prime Minister David Cameron ordered his own Conservative peers to vote against Labour plans that, down the line, would have stopped him lobbying for Greensill Capital. Today, they also revealed that not only did the Conservatives refuse the chance to amend the Lobbying Act at a later date through a Private Members Bill in 2016, but also that three of the Conservative peers who opposed Labour’s amendments to the Lobbying Act in 2014, faced allegations around their own conflicts of interest. These include Lord Blencartha, who denied he had ever lobbied MPs and peers on behalf of a Caribbean tax haven despite signing a £12,000 per month contract stating he would do so and Lord Deighton, a central figure in the government’s pandemic procurement process, and the subject of a New York Times investigation. Rachel Reeves MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “Given the cronyism consuming the Conservative party, it’s crucial that the scope of the lobbying register is expanded to include in-house lobbyists. “Otherwise it’s clearly one rule for them, and another for everyone else. “The former Conservative Prime Minister’s conduct and the immense access Greensill was given illustrates perfectly both the toothlessness of current rules, and Tory ministers’ complete disregard for any self-driven integrity when lobbying. “In 2014, the Conservatives were more concerned with gagging charities and trade unions than tackling the real issues with commercial lobbying. “A Labour government would create an Integrity and Ethics Commission to restore transparency and accountability back into the heart of government, introduce a fairer framework for commercial lobbying, stamp out crony contracts while freeing up civil society to campaign.” Ends Notes to Editors:
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