The responsible lobbying framework

The practice of lobbying is widespread and is a legitimate part of the political process. Done responsibly, lobbying leads to better legislation, rules and standards, increases stakeholder engagement in public life, and serves the public interest.

Yet the practice is open to abuse. If it is done secretly it undermines democratic accountability. It is vulnerable to conflicts of interest. Even when these practical abuses are corrected other problems remain; well-resourced causes can benefit from disproportionate (and therefore undemocratic) influence, and even the existence of personal relationships between lobbyist and legislator can lead to subtle distortions arising from the valid human responses of empathy and reciprocity.

This best practice framework has been developed by SLR for the Meridian Institute to help promote and support responsible lobbying practice. It is based on a large number of pre-existing standards and guides (see the references) but owes a particular debt to the work of Transparency International which has produced several very useful and authoritative documents on the topic.

Our Framework is intended for the originators of lobbying activity – in most cases companies or Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) – rather than focussing on intermediaries such as paid lobbyists. Recognising the variation in national controls on lobbying, it is intended to apply globally, allowing multi-national organisations to work to a common international standard.

Why have we produced it? The right to influence policy through lobbying is a privilege granted to companies, CSOs and other stakeholders and, like all privileges it can be withdrawn. We believe that responsible organisations will wish to sign up to robust standards to justify society’s trust in the matter; indeed leading companies are already beginning to do so. In the absence of effective voluntary self-regulation of this type, it is likely that strict limitations will increasingly be placed upon the practice.

This Framework is intended to guide those wishing to take responsibility for themselves. It is free to use, but we request that it is always named the Responsible Lobbying Framework and, whenever possible, the website www.responsible-lobbying.org is acknowledged and referenced to enable us to increase our supporter base.

First published in 2020.