Tag: lobbying

PRCA launches second phase consultation on proposed Code for Professional Lobbying

Stuart Mitchell

The Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) has launched the second phase of its consultation on the revised Public Affairs Code, now proposed to be renamed the Code for Professional Lobbying. The consultation opened on Monday, 24th March 2025, and will run for five weeks, concluding on Monday, 28th April 2025. This marks a central stage in the PRCA’s review of its Public Affairs Code, ensuring that it is clear, relevant, and fit for purpose. The process began with a Call for Evidence, launched on 9th December 2024, which closed…

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New CIPR report reveals less than 4% of investigations into suspected unregistered lobbying activity saw civil penalties imposed

Stuart Mitchell

Just two civil penalties have been issued following investigations into suspected unregistered lobbying under the Lobbying Act in the last 5 years, according to new research published recently by the CIPR, the industry body for UK lobbyists and public relations practitioners.  Introduced by the coalition government in 2014, the Lobbying Act launched a statutory register in which consultant lobbyists are obliged to register their correspondence with Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL), the UK’s lobbying watchdog. Though intended to increase transparency and…

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Breach of lobbying rules verdict welcome but reform now needed, says CIPR

Stuart Mitchell

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has welcomed the outcome of an investigation into whether the Earl of Shrewsbury breached lobbying rules and has called for “wholesale reform” of lobbying legislation. The Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL) concluded that his company, Talbot Consulting Ltd, “undertook unregistered consultant lobbying activities” on behalf of their client SpectrumX. The legislation states a person must not carry on the business of consultant lobbying unless entered in the Register of consultant lobbyists. Talbot Consulting Ltd will now face a fine. It is…

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#EthicsMatter – How lobbying can serve democracy

Stuart Mitchell

As part of Global Alliance Ethics Month, Päivi Shivola, Chair of the Council of Ethics for Communication in Finland talks with Tuomo Yli-Huttula, Chair of the Lobbying network in Finland, Director for Communications and Public Relations at Finance Finland about how lobbying can serve democracy by sharing their experience in Finland. #EthicsMatter #EthicsMonth You can view the video here:  

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PRCA Welcomes Committee on Standards in Public Life Report Lobbying Recommendations

Stuart Mitchell

The PRCA has welcomed the recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life report into lobbying. Commenting on its findings, PRCA Director General Francis Ingham stated: “This heavyweight report is a damning indictment of the Government’s continued indifference towards the mess that is the Lobbying Act introduced by David Cameron in 2014. We agree entirely with its assessment that it is ‘unfit for purpose’ – a view we have made clear for approaching a decade. “Following the David Cameron Greensill revelations in April, we called for a fundamental overhall…

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