Review of Lobbying Act

The government has appointed Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts to conduct a review into how the Lobbying Act is being put into practice.

Hodgson will assess the effectiveness of the current provisions of third party campaigning. In particular, he will examine whether party political campaigning is undertaken in an open and transparent way and that it complies with the need to maintain public trust and confidence in the regulatory regime governing third parties.

He will also assess whether charities and other third parties who undertake campaigning activities have fully understood and complied with regulatory rules, and in cases where Lobbying Act legislation has not been adhered to, he will examine whether appropriate enforcement activity has been carried out by the regulator.

Hodgson will also be required to examine the suitability of Electoral Commission guidance, the appropriateness of the registration thresholds and the effective and proportionate enforcement of the rules by the Electoral Commission.

The finished report will be presented to parliament before November 2016.