Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Rachel Reeves was out on Labour’s media round this morning, calling for the 2014 Lobbying Act to be strengthened on Times Radio:

Labour might just about to be getting this story to cut through to the public, though Guido’s not sure they’ve sent their best player out to bat for them. Just over a year ago it was Rachel Reeves who was calling for the 2014 Lobbying Act to be abolished…

Reeves called for the 2014 Lobbying Act to be scrapped altogether, claiming rules introduced by the Tories to crack down on lobbying “mute so many”. 

“Democracy is deeper than sporadic elections, it is about what happens in between with citizens’ voice, rights and power. That requires guarding the independence and voice of civil society and is why measures in the Lobbying Act which mutes so many, really must go”

Reeves isn’t alone on the Labour benches, given the 2019 manifesto – on which they were all elected – also called for a scrapping of the 2014 Lobbying Act:

“We will free the voices of civil society by repealing the Lobbying Act 2014…”

Does anyone believe that the party – which when in government allowed Tony Blair to immediately go on to lucrative private sector work – would have presided over less cronyism if in power?