Message from Harry Rich

Published on: Monday 22nd September 2025

Harry Rich’s term as Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists ended on 21 September 2025.

I end my term of office as I began, with the firm belief that transparent, ethical lobbying contributes to informed and effective public policy. But this sets a challenge for ministers and policymakers to actively seek out a range of voices, not just those of the most organised or well-funded.

The 2014 Act and the work of ORCL play an important role in bringing consultant lobbying into the public domain. The registration system has many strengths, particularly its clarity and simplicity. As a result, the overwhelming majority of professional public affairs businesses comply fully.

Through awareness-raising and active communication, we have more than doubled the number of businesses on the Register of Consultant Lobbyists over the past seven years. This growth reflects my preference for supporting compliance rather than seeking to catch out those who fall short. That said, the Act also has weaknesses which could be remedied with modest reforms that would better fulfil its transparency goals:

• Extend registration to cover communications with special advisers.
• Require registrants to disclose who was lobbied, on what subject, when, and by what
  means.
• Address the unintended consequences of exempting those not registered for VAT.
• Clarify the poorly drafted exemption for “incidental lobbying.”

I want to thank the ORCL team for their commitment to our purpose and to the effectiveness of our operational, awareness and compliance work and their support in my complex investigations of potential breaches of the Act. I am also grateful to Ministers and Cabinet Office colleagues for their support over the past seven years and above all for their consistent recognition of the independence of the role of Registrar.

Finally, I warmly welcome my successor, Claire Bassett, as she takes on this rewarding and demanding role.

Harry Rich

19 September 2025