Advice for parliamentarians and former parliamentarians

Published on: Wednesday 31st January 2024

If in a future role you might communicate with ministers or others on behalf of clients, you should be aware of your statutory duties under the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 (‘the Act’). 

A very brief overview is that UK VAT registered organisations and individuals who
communicate personally with Government Ministers or Permanent Secretaries (and
equivalents) on behalf of a third party and in return for payment must be registered in
advance of such activity.

The statutory obligation is to register in advance of any consultant lobbying and you can find detailed guidance here. 

The requirements of the Act are separate to rules administered by other bodies such as professional regulators, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards or the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS). You will need to understand any separate rules that you may be subject to in addition to the Act.