Barry blasts media over ‘lobbying’ link

companies are able to attend events and meetings in Parliament.

It reported that Parliament’s lobbying tsar will investigate if allparty parliamentary groups (APPGs) bypass lobbying rules.

There are around 550 APPGs with hundreds of MPs involved.

Policy Connect is involved with eight APPGs and Mr Sheerman sits on five of them.

Mr Sheerman, who donates the £2,200 a month he receives from Policy Connect to charity, said: “It’s not for profit, we don’t make money on it, we employ young graduates, pay the Living Wage, cover costs and any surplus is reinvested.

“About 17 years ago myself, a Conservative MP and Liberal peer, all irritated by the lobbying that was taking place in Parliament, set Policy Connect up.

“We believed that there should be the opportunity for outside organisations to have their voices heard by Parliament, but it should not be to the benefit of just one organisation, but the industry as a whole.

“We are open and transparent in the Parliamentary groups we work with.”

Mr Sheerman gave the Examiner various examples of how Policy Connect has made a difference, stating it helped change waste regulations country-wide, campaigned to improve access to apprenticeships and skills and ran a Northern Powerhouse conference.

Its website says it’s currently looking at carbon monoxide safety at festivals and how to develop the energy efficiency industry.

Mr Sheerman added: “I and the other co-founders didn’t set it up to make money for ourselves. I don’t make any money out of it, I do it because it’s good for Parliament.

“The line is that we will never lobby for an individual company, it must have greater benefit.

“We hear from the expertise in the industry and if we can identify policy improvements then we work to make that happen.

“I’ve never received a penny from it myself.

“I was irritated by the Guardian article. I invited the Guardian reporter to come and spend a day with us and see what we do, but they haven’t taken us up on the invite, and I extend that invite to you (the Examiner reporter) also.”