The UK Lobbying Register (UKLR) is a register of individual lobbyists and organisations which are involved in lobbying. Although it is owned and operated by the CIPR, it is open, universal and free:
- Open, meaning it is available to all professionals and all organisations engaged in lobbying within the UK.
- Universal, meaning all lobbyists – agency, in-house and freelance – are encouraged to join.
- Free, meaning there is no registration fee, no fee to update information on the register and no charge to search the register.
UKLR registration is based on the following definition of lobbying:
“lobbying services” means activities which are carried out in the course of a business for the purpose of:
(a) influencing government, or
(b) advising others how to influence government.
All registrants are bound by a relevant code of conduct and the UKLR provides the public with a channel to complain about the conduct of a registered lobbyist.
Where a registrant is not bound by a recognised code of conduct, they agree to be accountable to the CIPR code of conduct (see Terms and Conditions 2.1) See below for more information on how we recognise codes of conduct.
Recognised Codes of Conduct
Individuals and organisations registered with UKLR are accountable, usually through membership of a professional body or trade association, to a recognised code of conduct. Because the Register is open, some registrants will not be a member of an organisation which holds them accountable to a code of conduct. Where this arises, they will automatically be accountable to the CIPR Code of Conduct.
Codes are recognised on the basis of relevance (i.e they may apply directly to lobbyists and lobbying activity) and effective governance (which relates to the way the code is administered).
The Register exists to promote transparency and professional standards in lobbying. In March 2015, the UK Government’s Office of the Registrar for Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL) launched the statutory Register for Consultant Lobbyists in an attempt to address the issue of transparency in lobbying. Due to the narrow scope of the legislation, those required to register constitute a small proportion of the UK’s lobbying industry. The legal limits on who can and cannot register means the public are unable to access comprehensive information about lobbying.
That’s why the UKLR was introduced. It raises standards and delivers greater transparency by offering the public a forum to complain about the conduct of registered lobbyists.