The Coalition government has outlined its plans for a statutory register of lobbyists, saying it would boost public confidence about outside influence on the process of political decision-making. Under proposed laws called The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning & Trade Union Administration Bill, firms lobbying ministers and civil servants would have to declare who they represented. But in a surprise move – touted in early June this year - unions would be required to make their membership records subject to annual independent verification. The initiative on this front is seen to be an attempt by the Conservative Party to deepen the attacks on Labour’s funding from unions (especially in the light of the recent political fallout from the Falkirk West saga, see article No. 130474). (Réf. 130496)
The Coalition government’s proposals would:
- Introduce a statutory register of lobbyists to identify whose interests were being represented by consultant lobbyists and those who were paid to lobby on behalf of a third party
- Set a £390,000 (€452,700) cap on the amount any organisation – excluding political parties – could spend across the UK during elections
- Set limits for organisations that campaign for or against a specific party or target their spending at a particular constituency
- End self
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