Pendle MP, Gordon Prentice, is calling for a mandatory register of lobbyists which would be set down in Statute and policed by an independent body.

The MP’s Commons motion appears on the Order Paper today as controversy engulfs the House of Lords where four Labour peers allegedly agreed to accept payment in return for helping to secure changes to legislation. The four peers deny any wrong-doing.

Speaking from Westminster, the MP said: "The shadowy world of lobbying needs to be dragged into the light of day. A mandatory register is essential."

The MP, who serves on the Public Administration Select Committee, this morning asked the Speaker for a special one and a half hour debate on Lobbying.

Note to Editors: The MP’s Commons Motion reads:

That this House notes with approval the recent Report of the Public Administration Select Committee on lobbying which calls for a mandatory register of lobbying activity provided for in statute, independently managed and enforced, and which would include information provided by both lobbyists and those being lobbied; and calls on the Government to bring forward the necessary legislation as a matter of urgency.