JULIA SIGNS PLEDGE ON LOBBYING TRANSPARENCY

6.00.00pm GMT Mon 22nd Mar 2010

Julia 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.

Julia said: "People's trust in politicians will never be restored while there is any hint of secrecy about how they operate. Only complete openess and transparency will give people any confidence in the politicians that are asking for their votes. This is why this campaign is so important, and it is why I am fully supporting it."