LabourList calls on MPs to vote against Lobbying Bill

Today, LabourList joins other political sites including ConservativeHome and LibDem Voice, to call on MPs to vote against the Lobbying Bill ahead of the second reading in the House of Commons later today. We are attending a drop-in session in Parliament, hosted by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), to tell MPs how concerned we are about Part II of the Lobbying Bill. The Electoral Commission has warned the Lobbying Bill creates a lot of uncertainty, ‘raising significant issues about workability,’ and Labour’s Shadow Leader of the House, Angela Eagle, has strongly criticised the bill.

Angela Eagle argues the Lobbying Bill should not go through: ““This is a Bill that lets Lynton Crosby off the hook, but gags charities and campaigners from having a say. No wonder the public think David Cameron stands up for the wrong people.”

A whole range of influential voices have come together to express their fears about the draft bill, which limits how much third organisations can spend during election years and requires registration of campaigns that ‘have the effect’ of influencing an election. Rosamund McCarthy, a partner at law firm Bates Wells Braithwaite, says the Lobbying Bill will have a ‘chilling effect’ on grassroots campaigners and political websites. Helen Mountfield QC of Matrix Chambers, thinks the Lobbying Bill could breach campaigners’ legal right to freedom of expression under Article 10 ECHR.

Alex Runswick from Unlock Democracy argues that the Lobbying Bill goes too far, curtailing not just corporate lobbyists, but charities and unions too: “this legislation will have an appallingly detrimental affect on the democratic culture of the UK.” Even the British Medical Association fear that the Lobbying Bill could stop them from campaigning on health issues like blank packaging on cigarette packets.

Karl Wilding, the NCVO’s policy director, told the Mirror: “At the moment you have to intend to influence an election to be in trouble. But the wording is being changed to ‘if you have the effect’ of influencing an election. What is really dangerous about this is that you may not intend to influence the outcome of a local election — yet the punishment is you could go to prison. We think this legislation will make people frightened of speaking out.”

We are calling on the Labour leadership and Labour MPs to oppose and vote against this damaging legislation, which will hurt charities as well as organisations like Labour List.