Special Investigation: The Vested Private Interests Behind Westminster’s Influential Lobbying Groups

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  1. > Labour is calling for urgent change to “safeguard Parliament from improper lobbying and hostile state actors” after an investigation by Byline Times revealed how dozens of largely unregulated parliamentary groups are being funded and supported by those with financial interests in the policies they propose.

    >This includes the National Residential Landlords Association funding a parliamentary group on the private rental market; gambling companies donating to MPs involved in a parliamentary betting group; and fossil fuel companies backing MPs and peers looking into renewable energy – all taking place lawfully at the heart of British democracy.

    >All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) act as talking shops for MPs and peers to consider particular policy areas or relations with a foreign state. There are currently more than 700 of them – ranging from Adult Social Care to Zoos and Aquariums.

    >Unlike parliamentary committees, APPGs do not have official status within Parliament. These informal groups are broadly unregulated – yet have considerable influence over policy-makers. One recent example of this, revealed by Byline Times, was a meeting this month between an APPG funded by private health interests and senior Government figures to discuss the redevelopment of hospitals, as the NHS crisis continues to unfold.

    And

    > There are a number of APPGs rightly dedicated to the field of climate change, many of which produce valuable work on areas such as sustainable energy and the effort to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

    >However, a number of fossil fuel firms have been funding these APPGs. While this may not have compromised their work, it could be seen as a means through which big energy companies are attempting to ‘greenwash’ their reputations – associating themselves with sustainability campaigns as a way of reducing scrutiny of their polluting activities.

    >The APPG on Renewable and Sustainable Energy is funded, among others, by gas giants Calor and Cadent, as well as Centrica, which owns British Gas, and Drax – the power generation company that has faced criticism for receiving billions of pounds in green energy subsidies while reportedly cutting down environmentally-important forests

  2. They are all linked with the far right and oppose various good things such as environmental measures, equal rights, workers’ rights etc. If it benefits society, they are probably against it in some form, which is why they are so determined to fund the Tories and keep the right wing of the party on side. They know it is a guaranteed way to stop society progressing, keeping their vested interests protected.

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