Behind closed doors: emerging lobbying trends in the new Labour government

Now Transparency International UK's Open Access tool contains lobbying data covering the first six months of the Labour administration, we explore emerging trends, key issues of contention, and what this data reveals (or fails to reveal) about the dynamics inside Whitehall. 

With a packed legislative agenda, our analysis shows departments are actively consulting companies, charities, and other stakeholders to shape policy. From these disclosures, we have identified three key policy areas where there appears to be intense lobbying activity. 

Football Governance Bill 

First proposed by the previous Conservative government, and introduced last October, the Football Governance Bill aims to create an independent football regulator to replace the current self-policing system. One catalyst for the bill is the financial instability of many lower league clubs, with several going into administration including two-time FA Cup winners Bury FC. Another was controversial proposals (now abandoned) for a ‘European Super League’, which would have created a closed shop for top UK clubs and entrenched their financial position. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Premier League has taken a keen interest and have met with the new government seven times about the topic. Publicly, they have stated concerns about the powers of the new regulator to intervene in the distribution of revenue of top football clubs. As well as securing official meetings in Whitehall, they have also been handing out up to £100,000 of freebies such as tickets to concerts and games to MPs and ministers. This multipronged influencing strategy shows the financial resources at their disposal try and shape the debate. What we don't know from these disclosures is how much informal or undisclosed lobbying is going on. However, commentators claim this hospitality as “part of a campaign” to curtail the powers of the regulator.  

Currently, this appears like a one-sided game, with proponents of the Bill, such as Fair Game UK, not appearing anywhere in official government disclosures. This could be because they were invited to attend one of a few roundtables with football stakeholders but not named, or they may have met with officials who aren’t subject to similar transparency requirements, but we can’t tell for certain. 

Tobacco and Vapes Bill  

Introduced before Parliament in November 2024, the Bill would introduce a generational ban on smoking, stricter controls on sellers, and bring in measures to make vaping less attractive to children; for example, by restricting vaping flavours like ‘gummy bear’. 

Looking at the data, the Department for Health and Social Care held several meetings about this legislation in November, but none of these were with tobacco companies. This reflects the government's current policy of avoiding face to face engagement with the industry. 

The ministerial meetings, however, only tell us half the story.  

These companies seem to be employing different tactics to influence decision makers. For example, four out of ten of the major tobacco and vaping companies hired consultant lobbyists to advocate on their behalf, and many others are part of trade associations who can engage in lobbying.  An analysis of the Bill’s publications reveals that at least nine tobacco and vaping companies have submitted evidence to the Bill Committee, which emphasises vaping as a harm reduction tool and the need for vape flavours that appeal to adult smokers. 

Additionally, because transparency rules don’t cover MPs or Ministers’ special advisors, much more could be going on that we just can’t see. The fragments of information we do have indicate that there is a wider lobbying campaign underway, but the current system does not fully capture it. 

Copyright and AI 

In December last year, the Government launched a consultation on copyright and Artificial Intelligence (AI), focusing primarily on how copyright protections in the creative industries should apply when used to train AI. There are strong and opposing interests about whether to pay writers, musicians and other artists for using their work to train these computer models.  

Our data shows that the Labour Government held 16 meetings to discuss this topic, across several departments with music companies such as Warner and tech companies, such as Google and Open AI. These tech businesses have recently announced that they are largely against the UK’s proposals as they “could hinder AI development and impact the UK’s competitiveness in this space.” Consultant lobbying records also reveal that OpenAI employed the services of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm, Global Counsel, to help make their case in Whitehall. 

On the other side of the debate, musicians such as Paul McCartney have stated that changes to the UK AI rules would “rip off” artists. There has also been backlash from the creative industries in America about similar proposals, with over 400 celebrities and industry professionals writing an open letter highlighting the detrimental effects of removing copyright protections. 

Further implications 

Whilst lobbying is an integral part of the democratic process, it is imperative that the Government ensures it develops policy transparently, that there is a level playing field for interested parties, and that it listens to a range of diverse voices. 

Unfortunately, lobbying data remains scattered and incomplete, representing only a small slice of the true picture. For the public to understand who is trying to influence our decision makers we need genuine transparency. The UK remains an outlier amongst its allies by not having a comprehensive statutory lobbying register. Until it does, those seeking to influence big decisions of the day will be able to do so behind closed doors and away from the public’s eye.