Government behaving badly over ‘quietly aborted’ lobbying reform

This week Nick Clegg said he remained committed to introducing a statutory register of lobbyists despite the fact that a bill didn’t appear in the Queen’s Speech. If we were entering the final year of a Parliament this omission might be less surprising – it’s never going to be a big hit on the doorstep. But still two years out from an election, the Government missed the perfect opportunity to introduce a reform that would increase public and political confidence in a much-maligned industry and the political class. Instead, despite Nick Clegg’s reassurances (his Conservative colleagues are less keen) I fear lobbying reform is being quietly aborted.

More than a year ago the Government consulted on plans to create a statutory register of lobbyists. Their vision was deeply flawed – only including agency lobbyists and omitting the vast majority of lobbyists working in-house or in law firms, trade unions and so on.