And now the House of Lords has been dragged into the lobbying scandal. Following an investigation by the Telegraph and Panorama that has just ended Patrick Mercer’s career, three members of the House of Lords were filmed offering to lobby ministers for cash. Lord Cunningham, Lord Laird and Lord Mackenzie told undercover reporters from the Sunday Times they would ask parliamentary questions to benefit a ficticious firm, and set up an all-party group as a lobbying vehicle. They also revealed that some peers were hiding conflicts of interest via job-swap deals, pulling strings for each other’s clients in parliament. However all three deny any wrongdoing.
“The rules are very complex, but let’s not accuse all members who were involved in all this of being corrupt when in fact they aren’t,” Lord Mackenzie told Radio 5live. “They’re simply trying to find their way through the morass of rules – it’s very difficult at times. But I’m quite clear I’ve broken no rules, I’ve asked no questions for money, and I’ve lobbied no ministers and nor would I do.”
He called for a reform of parliamentary rules to make them clearer.
As they stand, the rules for House of Lords members ban them from acting as advocates, hosting functions in the Lords or attempting to influence parliament, and, since 2009, “seeking to profit from membership of the house” in any way, even if they declared a financial interest. During the secretly filmed conversation with reporters, detailed in today’s Sunday Times, Mackenzie explained how one could work round them:
“There is a rule that you shouldn’t host a reception in parliament where you have a pecuniary interest,” he said. “I thought that’s bloody nonsense. Nonetheless … how would you get round that? “I just say to a colleague who has nothing to do with it, would you host a function for me?” He added: “Of course, I do the business anyway, but that gets round it.”
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