Prospective Edinburgh South MP Fred Mackintosh signs up for reform of lobbying system

12.32.22pm GMT Thu 25th Mar 2010

Edinburgh South prospective MP Fred Mackintosh has signed up to a national campaign urging greater lobbying transparency among MPs and political candidates.

The campaign is run by independent group 38 Degrees and the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency. It calls on candidates from all political parties to support a statutory register of lobbying activity. The proposed register would ask lobbying firms to include the names of the companies or organisations they are working for, and which decisions they are trying to influence.

MPs are already required to register any personal or financial interests they have that may influence their actions. The new campaign is now calling on candidates to publicly declare any lobbying interests they may have in the same way.

Fred Mackintosh said: "People's trust in politics and politicians can't be restored while the taint of secrecy remains on how they operate. Only complete transparency will give people confidence in the politicians that are asking for their votes at this and future elections. This is why this campaign is so important, and it is why I fully support it."

As long ago as 2006 Fred pledged to declare his parliamentary expenses to the same open standards of the Scottish Parliament - this was three years before Labour and Conservative MPs at Westminster realized that they could not stop the public knowing what they did with their money.

Fred Mackintosh is an Advocate; although during the election campaign he is not practicing.

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Find out more about the 38 Degrees campaign to reform lobbying.