A decade after the Transparency of Lobbying Act, nearly nine in ten UK PR professionals believe there needs to be greater lobbying transparency.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Lobbying Act, the legislation that put a statutory register in place for third-party consultant lobbyists to record their lobbying of ministers and senior civil servants. 

This year also presents new data from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) that finds nearly 90% of PR professionals in the UK believe the Act is not enough, and greater transparency is still needed for lobbying Westminster politicians. 

CIPR data also shows that 23% would go as far to say the Act’s register brought no improvement on lobbying transparency. Furthermore, 86% agree that it should require a statutory register for all lobbyists, not just consultant ones. 

Of this majority is CIPR president, Rachael Clamp, who says: “Lobbying is a force for good and has brought change throughout the course of history, though its good name is being tarnished by a never ending string of scandals made possible by the defensive Act. As the election looms closer, there is a risk that lobbying reform is squeezed out of manifestos. That would be a mistake”.