Umbrella bodies welcome lobbying act recommendations

NCVO and Acevo have called for Lord Hodgson’s recommended changes to the operation of the law around third party campaigning to be implemented in full.

The Third Party Campaigning Review on how campaigning rules operated during the 2015 general election, delivered today, recommended changes to strike a better balance between protecting against undue influence of elections and preserving the right to participate in public discourse.

Lord Hodgson’s review recommended changes including narrowing the definition of “procuring electoral success” in the legislation to cover only activity that is clearly intended to influence voters’ choices.

It also recommended shortening the regulatory period from 12 to four months before a general election.

NCVO chief executive Sir Stuart Etherington said the review’s recommendations, published today, represent a sensible package of reforms.

Etherington said it is important the recommendations are implemented as a whole to ensure the changes strike the right balance between effective and proportionate regulation and transparency around elections.

“I am particularly pleased that Lord Hodgson has seen fit to redefine the purpose test to ensure that regulations apply only to activity which is intended to influence voters’ decisions,” he said. “This provides much needed clarity and will remove the regulatory uncertainty that surrounds the current test, providing great reassurance to charities campaigning within the requirements of charity law.”

Etherington said the recommendations will provide greater transparency about who third party campaigners are and what they are spending on, by requiring at the time of registration information such as what the purpose of the campaign is and where it will be focused.

“Transparency was one of the stated aims of the lobbying act and one which I believe it has failed to achieve so far, but these changes will certainly address the issue.

“We look forward to the government’s speedy response,” Etherington said.

Separately, Acevo called for the recommendations to be implemented “in full without delay”.

The association’s chief executive Sir Stephen Bubb thanked Lord Hodgson for the thorough report. Bubb said the Transparency in Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act had been a “legislative and democratic car crash”.