The British government has been urged to take more effective action against lobbyists, including the tobacco lobby.

The Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC) report, published in July 2026, concludes that the UK's lobbying transparency system fails to adequately identify who is seeking to influence public decisions, on what issues, and by what means. The authors argue that the current system is too narrow, too fragmented, and too slow to fulfill its purpose. They conclude that simply updating the existing system will not suffice and call for a thorough overhaul, based on a broader logic of transparency, clarity, and accountability.[1]. This investigation was ordered by Prime Minister Keir Starmer following the Peter Mandelson affair, in which Mandelson retained a stake in a lobbying firm while serving as ambassador to the United States.

The inadequacy of the current lobby register

According to this watchdog, the current register of lobbying consultants covers only a small part of actual lobbying activity, with several loopholes and exemptions meaning that only 4 to 6% of lobbying activities need to be declared.[2]. Furthermore, the information published by the ministries is considered incomplete, scattered in several formats and often published several months after the meetings for which the question of conflicts of interest arises.

The report also highlights that descriptions of the meetings are frequently too vague, using phrases like "introductory meeting" or "general discussion," which severely limits the usefulness of the data for the public. In practice, this makes it impossible to clearly reconstruct who met with whom, when, and for what purpose.

The Commission also considers that several exemptions significantly reduce the scope of the system, particularly those related to the type of organization, the VAT threshold, or the so-called "incidental" nature of lobbying. In its view, these loopholes open the door to circumvention and obscure the overall interpretation.

The proposed reform

The main measure proposed is the creation of a register covering all lobbying activities, not just lobbying advice. The idea is to apply a simple rule: whenever a person or organization attempts to influence a public decision, this activity must be recorded.

The report also recommends that contacts with special advisors, directors-general, and other senior officials be included in the reporting requirements. This would better reflect the reality of influence networks, which often operate through multiple levels of the administrative apparatus, and not just through ministers or permanent secretaries.

The authors also recommend removing several provisions, notably the requirement to have a VAT number to be listed in the register and the exemption from this requirement when lobbying activities are deemed merely "incidental" to the main activity. They also advocate an approach based strictly on the actual activity carried out, rather than on the organization's legal structure.

The organization also recommends that the government implement the sanctions provided for in the Lobbying Registry to penalize lobbyists who break the rules. Currently set at just £7,500 (€8,800), the EIC suggests increasing them to £75,000 (€88,000) to bring the country closer to the regulations in force in Canada or the United States. The maximum fine there is 200,000 $, or €175,000. By comparison, Austria provides for a penalty of up to €60,000 and Germany €50,000, while giving the Lobbying Registry the necessary resources to enforce the regulations.

The report also aims to accelerate publication times: transparency reports should be submitted monthly and published within a maximum of two months. This measure directly addresses one of the major criticisms raised in the document, namely the chronic delays in current publications.

Post-term and conflicts of interest

The report does not only deal with lobbying. It also addresses the rules governing the activities of former public officials after they leave government, as well as the declaration of financial interests.

On the first point, the Commission considers it necessary to modernize the "Business Appointment Rules," the private sector appointment rules that govern the career transitions of former members of the executive branch and senior civil servants. It recommends better coordination between the bodies responsible for reviewing applications, clearer criteria, and more predictable procedures.

Regarding declarations of financial interests, the authors call for simplifying data collection and making declarations more easily accessible. The key is ensuring that this transparency obligation has a real impact on democratic oversight.

A challenge of efficiency and trust in public health decisions

The report links this technical issue to a broader political concern: public trust in government action. The Commission believes that transparency is not a mere afterthought, but a prerequisite for the legitimacy of public decisions.

Lobbying, in general, is all the more problematic when it takes place in a climate of secrecy, without sufficient transparency and without truly enforceable rules. With regard to the tobacco and nicotine industry, the sector's specific nature suggests that any influence it may have on health policies should be prohibited, especially given that the United Kingdom, having ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, is obligated to implement Article 5.3, which provides for the protection of public policies against interference from the tobacco industry.

This protection is all the more important to ensure the proper application and effectiveness of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which provides for a generational ban on tobacco sales to people born from 2009 onwards. Caroline Cerny, speaking on behalf of Action on Smoking and Health, the Alcohol Health Alliance, and the Obesity Health Alliance, stated:« From tobacco and alcohol to unhealthy foods, ample evidence shows that companies profiting from products harmful to our health have attempted to influence public policy to protect their commercial interests. For decades, these industries have lobbied to block, delay, or weaken measures aimed at improving public health. All too often, this lobbying takes place behind closed doors. »[3].

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1]Publication of Lobbying, Business Appointment Rules and Disclosure Report, Ethics & Integrity Commission, published on July 9, 2026, accessed on July 10, 2026

[2]Rowena Mason, All lobbying should be publicly declared in transparency laws shake-up, watchdog says, The Guardian, published on July 9, 2026, accessed on July 10, 2026

[3]Press release, ASH, AHA and OHA response to the Ethics and Integrity Commission's review into lobbying, disclosure and access to government, Action on Smoking and Health, published July 9, 2026, accessed July 10, 2026

National Committee Against Smoking |