Position Statement on Lobbying Codes of Practice
Portcullis Public Affairs strongly supports the view that lobbyists - both in-house and within consultancies - should have a stringent code of behaviour by which we all abide. We are not, however, a member of any professional body and have not signed any Codes of Practice associated with those bodies. This is because we operate to our own - significantly more stringent - Code. Copies of this are available to be seen on our website and are prominently displayed throughout our offices. Our staff receive training in this Code and are regularly reminded of it.
We have watched with interest the moves to create a unified, cross-industry code of practice. However, nothing has emerged from those discussions that has yet convinced us that we should move away from our own Code of Practice, towards anything that is less onerous.
From the inception of Portcullis Public Affairs, we have believed that the best form of regulation is self-regulation. However, if Parliament were to decide to introduce some form of statutory regulation, we should of course comply with both its spirit and its letter immediately.