Ministers who break lobbying rules could be fined £30,000 in bid to strengthen 'toothless' regulations
26 December 2022, 11:02 | Updated: 26 December 2022, 15:43
Politicians who break lobbying rules after leaving office could be fined three months' salary under new proposals.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Government anti-lobbying chief Lord Pickles called for the hefty fines as he admitted current regulations are "essentially toothless".
Pickles' Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) has no basis in law, meaning its advice can be entirely ignored by politicians who break its rules.
A flurry of Conservative politicians including David Cameron, Owen Paterson and Andrew Bridgen have fallen foul of lobbying rules over the past 18 months.
Read more: Only a third of Leave voters now think Brexit was a success
David Cameron: 'I was paid far more by Greensill than what I earned as prime minister'
Lord Pickles advised a three-month salary fine, which adds up to £28,956 on the current £115,000 annual pay rate for ministers.
He wrote in The Telegraph: "Recent scandals like Greensill, involving politicians and senior civil servants, show the damage that can be done to the reputation of government and those who serve it.
"Facing a hefty fine or another sanction would be a significant deterrent and would demonstrate that we are serious about protecting the integrity of government."
With a cabinet minister's total salary currently at more than £151,000, the three-month fine for breaking Acoba rules would run up to just under £38,000.
Lord Pickles also advised banning ministers in law from taking jobs in sectors they worked in for two years after leaving office.
He added: “The system is creaking, and long overdue for reform. Without reform, further scandals are inevitable.”
