CIPR_No_Rules_Britannia - Flipbook - Page 12
Who can be considered a
regulated lobbyist?
Consultants
In-House
Lobbyists
Think Tanks
NGOs
Westminster
Australia
Canada
EU
France
Germany
Holyrood
Ireland
USA
In only capturing consultant lobbyists, Westminster’s
lobbying regulations are almost unique. Scotland,
Canada, the European Parliament, and Ireland all have
much more comprehensive de昀椀nitions that include inhouse lobbyists, think tanks, and NGOs. Only Australia
has a similarly loose de昀椀nition that only includes
consultant lobbyists.
In only capturing consultant lobbyists,
Westminster’s lobbying regulations are
almost unique.
This light-touch system is designed to avoid
misunderstandings about the interests of those engaged
in lobbying. Ministers and government of昀椀cials should
know in whose interest a lobbyist is speaking. This is
easier to ascertain for in-house lobbyists, for example,
and the notional editorial control of think tanks is
similarly supposed to provide a 昀椀rewall against
undisclosed vested interests.
However, this does nothing to provide the public with
any understanding about who is seeking to in昀氀uence our
politics and it is clear that the majority of comparable
countries do not make this distinction.
12
CIPR / No Rules Britannia?
