Documents released in the wake of the Peter Mandelson scandal highlighted concerns over the relationship between senior Westminster figures and corporate interests.Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

UK must regulate lobbying after Mandelson scandal, ethics watchdog tells Burnham – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

LONDON — Andy Burnham faces demands to quickly bring in a sweeping redesign of the U.K.’s lobbying rules following a major review prompted by the Peter Mandelson scandal.

The U.K. government’s independent Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC) said in a report Thursday that new laws are necessary to fix inadequacies in Westminster’s lobbying and government transparency systems.

It will almost certainly fall to Burnham — who is expected to become the next U.K. prime minister on July 20 — to decide whether to accept the watchdog’s 37 recommendations, which it says should be implemented ahead of the next U.K. general election, due by 2029.