Category Archives: Lobbying

Conflict of interest concerns raised over MEPs’ second jobs

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Seven out of 10 have outside work with six earning more with work than as parliamentary representatives, analysis shows

Half a dozen members of the European parliament earn more from second jobs than as EU lawmakers, according to analysis that raises questions about potential conflicts of interest.

The campaign group Transparency International EU found that 70% of the European parliament’s 705 members have side jobs. Just over a quarter (26%) of side jobs were paid, with six lawmakers earning more than their €120,900 (£103,000) annual gross MEP salary.

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Watchdog rejects request to investigate Tory MP over City lobbying complaint

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Parliamentary commissioner for standards says there was not sufficient evidence to justify opening investigation into John Baron

Parliament’s standards watchdog has turned down a request to investigate a senior Conservative MP over whether he used his role on the Commons Treasury committee to lobby for changes to City rules.

The parliamentary commissioner for standards, Daniel Greenberg, said a request submitted on behalf of campaign group Unlock Democracy had not provided any evidence that John Baron MP was not acting in the public interest, or breached any rule related to lobbying, that would be sufficient to justify opening an investigation.

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Tories may face Blackpool byelection as Scott Benton loses suspension appeal

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MP for Blackpool South, who offered to lobby for gambling industry, loses appeal against 35-day Commons suspension

Rishi Sunak may face another difficult byelection after an MP lost his appeal against a 35-day suspension from parliament for lobbying ministers on behalf of the gambling industry.

Scott Benton, the MP for Blackpool South, formerly a Conservative, had asked for a reconsideration of the standards committee verdict that he had committed an “extremely serious breach of the rules”.

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‘How to greenwash’: propane industry tries to rebrand fuel as renewable

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Lobbying group spent nearly $30m on ads touting the ‘clean energy’ potential of propane – and downplaying its full climate impacts


This story is co-published with Heated

Members of a propane industry lobbying group strategized to downplay the full climate impacts of propane and market it as renewable or “clean energy”, recordings reviewed by the climate newsletter Heated and the Guardian reveal.

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UK environment secretary took donation from funder of climate sceptic thinktank

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Exclusive: Steve Barclay accepted £3,000 donation from Michael Hintze, a key funder of Global Warming Policy Foundation

The new environment secretary, Steve Barclay, received a donation from a major funder of a climate sceptic thinktank just weeks before taking up his role, the Guardian can reveal.

Barclay accepted £3,000 from Michael Hintze on 20 October, and is being asked by campaigners to reveal whether he has been lobbied on climate issues by those who seek to deny the extent of climate breakdown.

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As the NRA fades, a more zealous US pro-gun group rises as a lobbying power

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Gun Owners of America, formed in belief NRA was ‘too liberal’, spent $3.3m lobbying against gun control and boasts 2m members

A zealous gun rights group, even more uncompromising than the once formidable National Rifle Association, is emerging as a force in US politics with a mission to oppose efforts at gun control and ease further America’s already lax regulations on firearms.

Last year the Gun Owners of America (GOA) spent $3.3m on lobbying, a record sum for the hardline foe of gun control that now claims over 2 million members and activists, and has previously operated in the shadows of the larger NRA.

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Pittsburgh in ‘extreme embrace’ with fossil fuel lobbyists, research finds

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Several of the city’s governmental, environmental and cultural institutions share lobbyists with fossil fuel companies

Dozens of governmental, educational, cultural and environmental organizations across the city of Pittsburgh have hired lobbying firms who work with planet-heating fossil fuel companies, new research shows.

The Pennsylvania city has almost entirely divested its pension funds from fossil fuels and plans to dramatically cut its planet-heating pollution. Yet in 2023, it employed lobbyists who also worked for ExxonMobil and seven other fossil fuel companies.

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Tory peer cleared for second time of breaking lobbying rules over PPE contracts

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Watchdog says there is insufficient evidence Lord Chadlington breached rules over £50m in contracts

A Conservative peer has been cleared of breaking lobbying rules for a second time by the House of Lords watchdog over introducing a company that was awarded government PPE contracts worth £50m.

The watchdog had been asked to reopen his investigation into Lord Chadlington after it emerged that there was an exchange with the government that had not been fully provided to his first inquiry.

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Firm behind ‘voice of gamblers’ group co-owned by betting industry consultant

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Gamblers Consumer Forum aims to derail planned betting reforms and claims to act on behalf of ordinary punters

The company behind a lobby group that wants to derail planned overhaul of UK gambling laws and claims to act on behalf of ordinary punters is co-owned by a consultant for the betting industry.

Ministers proposed a series of changes in April that they said would make gambling safer by imposing tighter regulations on online betting firms, though they added that further consultation was needed before a bill could be put before parliament.

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Palantir lobbied UK disabilities minister to use software to tackle benefits fraud

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US data firm wanted to brief Tom Pursglove on how its technology could help recover ‘large amounts’

The US tech firm Palantir lobbied the UK disabilities minister to adopt new technology to crack down on benefits fraud, emails released to the Guardian have revealed.

The company wrote to Tom Pursglove to brief him on technology it had recently deployed elsewhere, promising that it had the potential for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to rapidly “recover large amounts of fraud”.

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Ministers will be fined if they break lobbying rules under Labour plan

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Former ministers could have their pensions docked, Angela Rayner will say in speech on ‘broken’ standards system

Former government ministers will be fined or have their pensions docked if they breach tough new rules on lobbying, to be proposed by Labour this week.

In a major speech on cleaning up politics, Labour’s deputy leader and shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Angela Rayner, will spell out plans to end the “revolving door” culture that currently allows ministers to switch from government posts into lucrative lobbying roles related to their former ministerial responsibilities.

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CBI frozen out of meetings with other leading UK business lobby groups

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Efforts to regain place at intersection of business and government after scandal complicated by refusals to engage

The Confederation of British Industry has been frozen out of regular meetings with other leading business lobby groups, hampering its fight for survival after a sexual misconduct scandal.

Formerly Britain’s leading voice for business, the CBI has been battling to overhaul its culture and regain trust after multiple allegations of misconduct were made by female employees, including two who said they were raped. Those allegations resulted in an exodus of members from John Lewis to Aviva and led Labour and the Conservatives to cut ties with the organisation.

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Tory peer faces questions over links to cryptocurrency lobbying firm

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Exclusive: James Wharton is helping to forge Westminster connections for the cryptocurrency sector

A former campaign manager to Boris Johnson who was appointed to lead an education quango is facing fresh questions over his role in a cryptocurrency lobbying firm.

James Wharton, a peer and former MP who chairs the Office for Students (OfS), has launched a new public affairs company that pledges to “help clients navigate the complexities of Whitehall and Westminster” and specialises in “disruptive” highly regulated sectors.

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Ladbrokes owner funded ‘dishonest’ lobbying against gambling reforms

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Campaign funded by Entain urging people to write to MP was shameful, says chair of parliamentary group

The owner of Ladbrokes, Entain, has been accused of “dishonest” lobbying after it funded an operation mobilising people to complain to their MP about proposals to reform gambling laws.

The government last month unveiled plans for tighter regulation, including measures it said would make gambling safer but would also reduce revenue for brands such as Coral and PartyCasino, owned by Entain.

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Unlicensed ‘bank’ CEO’s Commons invite stokes access concerns

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Vulnerability of MPs’ groups to influence of private firms highlighted by appearance at blockchain inquiry

Fresh questions have been raised about private firms gaining prestige and access to MPs through all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) after an unregulated “bank” with no UK licence gave evidence to an inquiry in the House of Commons.

The chief executive of Bandenia Challenger Bank spoke at an APPG inquiry into regulation in December, chaired by a Scottish National party MP, which was promoted using parliament’s official portcullis logo.

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Labour criticised for giving global banks access to parliament

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Exclusive: HSBC and NatWest staffers seconded to shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds’s team

Labour has been criticised for giving global banks access to parliament after taking an HSBC staffer into its shadow business team, despite the financial giant coming under fire over its links with China.

One senior policy manager from HSBC has been seconded to the team of Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, and has been given a parliamentary pass since February.

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Tory MP lobbied minister on behalf of casino over gambling laws

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Philip Davies lobbied culture minister to include measure after being entertained at Mayfair casino

The Conservative MP Philip Davies lobbied the government on behalf of a casino to introduce a measure that was then included in last week’s gambling white paper, it has emerged.

The MP for Shipley, in West Yorkshire, wrote in February to the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, after being entertained at Les Ambassadeurs luxury casino in Mayfair, central London.

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MEPs launch site for EU officials to report ‘shady lobbying’

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Exclusive: Dutch MEP hopes site will give early warning of suspicious tactics such as use of front organisations

A group of MEPs are launching a website for European parliament staff and EU officials to raise the alarm about “shady lobbying” by big tech firms and other interest groups.

Paul Tang, a Dutch Social Democrat MEP who is co-leading the initiative, said the “lobby leaks hotline” would be an early warning system and was necessary as the parliament had faced “shady lobbying” from powerful tech companies seeking to influence its decisions. He cited practices such as so-called astroturfing, where large companies use front organisations to represent their interests by the back door.

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Andrew Bridgen suspended from House of Commons over lobbying

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Cross-party committee agrees with findings of Kathryn Stone that Conservative MP breached rules on multiple occasions

The Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen has been suspended from the House of Commons for five days after being found to have breached rules on paid lobbying and declaring interests.

The MP for north-west Leicestershire was found to have repeatedly broken the MPs’ code of conduct by a cross-party committee, which endorsed findings from Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards.

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Forty potential ministerial code breaches never investigated, report reveals

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Next ethics adviser, when appointed by Rishi Sunak, will probably face calls to open at least two complex cases

Forty potential breaches of the ministerial code have never been referred for investigation by the ethics adviser, according to new data.

It comes as a parliamentary committee warned historic breaches of the code may never be investigated or resolved, including the conduct of the home secretary or Islamophobia claims against a former chief whip.

Meetings by Nadhim Zahawi and Kwasi Kwarteng with the Libyan politician Fathi Bashagha, organised by the lobbyist Mark Fullbrook who became Truss’s chief of staff.

Michael Gove’s acceptance of £120,000 in donations from property developers while serving as housing secretary.

Multiple meetings held by Anne-Marie Trevelyan with a Chinese state-owned nuclear power company with no record of what was discussed.

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