Taxpayer funded lobbying is only the tip of the iceberg a group claimed today, in response to a report by the TaxPayers Alliance.

The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency issued a press release today saying:

The UK [lobbying] industry is worth £1.9bn, the vast majority of which is spent by business lobbying government. We think the public has a right to know about everyone trying to influence our politicians, not just those in the public sector.

The report by the Taxpayers Alliance today comes ahead of the government’s response to the Public Administration Committee’s recommendation in January for a mandatory register of lobbyists in the UK.

A decision by the Cabinet Office is expected imminently.

David Miller from the ALT added:

By its own admission, the report is incomplete because so many lobbying consultancies simply choose not to voluntary disclose their clients. This is just one reason why a mandatory register of lobbyists and their clients is necessary – to show precisely who is lobbying whom, whether nuclear power companies, or environmental groups, and which areas of policy they are seeking to influence.

The spending figures by groups such as Action on Smoking and Health or Alcohol Concern are absolutely dwarfed by the amount spent by the tobacco and alcohol industry on influencing government, as well as advertising and marketing their products. Until we have real transparency, we have no way of knowing how much industry is spending or who they are talking to in government.

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Chris is a regular contributor to Liberal Conspiracy. He is an aspiring journalist and reports stories for LC.
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