UK Times Investigation: Labour Group Cash for breakfast access

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Labour-Linked Group Offered Private Access to Senior Figures for Sponsorship Fees, Times Investigation Reveals

 

A political storm is brewing around Labour’s ties to a lobbyist-run think tank after a Times investigation revealed that businesses have been offered the chance to pay nearly £9,500 to meet senior Labour figures in private.

 

The Labour Infrastructure Forum (LIF), a group set up to generate policy ideas to "get Britain building and growing again", has been offering sponsorship packages since last summer that include exclusive access to high-ranking Labour individuals. One such package, priced at £7,850 plus VAT, offered a "private breakfast/dinner roundtable with an influential Labour figure". Other deals included a £11,750 plus VAT “parliamentary panel event with key policymakers” and up to £30,000 plus VAT to sponsor a Westminster drinks reception.

 

 

The day-to-day operations of LIF are handled by lobbyists and guided by an advisory council including Labour MPs Kirsteen Sullivan, Bill Esterson and Mike Reader, former cabinet minister Ruth Kelly, and Lord McNicol, Labour’s former general secretary. It has also previously involved Baroness Blake of Leeds, a current government whip in the Lords. Though filled with Labour voices, the group is not officially affiliated with the party, meaning it is not bound by lobbying regulations or party transparency requirements.

 

 

The Times asked for a breakdown of sponsors, payment amounts, and Labour figures involved, but LIF declined to provide full details. A spokesperson stated that sponsorship funds were used to cover costs and claimed that “any LIF activity that is supported by sponsors will be made publicly available at the time and in our annual report, as is common across the industry.”

 

Despite the lack of formal ties, Labour was also found to have offered lobbyists a £15,000 plus VAT “commercial partnership” last winter, granting access to MPs at party receptions. Companies were told the payment wouldn’t need to be declared as it was “not a recordable donation.” Electoral Commission rules require parties to disclose any donations over £11,180, but Labour insists such commercial payments fall outside this requirement.

 

“Commercial partnerships at events are a longstanding practice and have no bearing on party or government policy,” a party spokesman said. “The party fully complies with all rules relating to the reporting of donations.”

 

LIF director Gerry McFall, who also works for lobbying firm Bradshaw Advisory, was recorded by undercover reporters discussing his strong connections with Labour ministers. He cited a meeting arranged for a Bradshaw client in the nuclear industry with Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds during last year’s Labour Party conference. However, no such meeting appears in official records. While party conference meetings don’t always require disclosure, if conducted in a ministerial capacity, they should be declared. Reynolds declined to comment.

 

The Electoral Commission confirmed it is reviewing the evidence. Concerns about the influence of lobbying in Westminster remain high, with many urging tighter laws. While the UK’s Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists monitors external lobbyists, it doesn’t require disclosure of specific meetings or apply to in-house or think tank operations. The watchdog admitted there are “significant deficiencies” in current lobbying legislation and is considering the case.

 

Following inquiries by The Times, LIF’s website was updated with a sponsorship policy declaring it does not lobby on behalf of sponsors. A reference to the group as a “network including Labour policymakers” was replaced with “think tank.” A spokesman stressed that LIF is an “independent left-leaning think tank” and “not engaged in consultant lobbying,” saying it operates legally and transparently. “We’re trying to boost UK growth and create well-paying jobs around the country,” he added.

 

Bradshaw Advisory, meanwhile, said it had “complied with the law and disclosure rules at all times” and helped clients meet “politicians and senior civil servants” as part of routine public affairs work.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Source The Times  2025-08-07