A senior lobbyist told The Times: “Every time a political consultancy pitches to a new client they propose setting up an APG to raise issues surrounding their work. It's a clever idea. If you’re a shredder company nobody wants to talk to you. But if you talk about identity fraud people listen.”

While APG funding is for the most part at arms length the drafting of reports by lobbyists and commercial organisations inevitably raises potential conflicts of interest.

Last night Sir Alistair Graham, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said he was surprised and concerned by the findings.

“The original authors of the seven principles of public life said transparency and objectivity are critical to our approach to the ways of public affairs,” he said.

“This would certainly raise some questions that the committee would like to give some thought to. It deserves to come into the public domain.”

Lord King of Bridgwater, the former Defence Secretary, who helped to draw up the rules on standards of conduct in public life, called on the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate. But an official representing Sir Philip Mawer said that the commissioner would not intervene because it was a matter for individual MPs.

Lord King said: “Quite clearly it’s quite improper for all party groups to be funded by people purely for the purpose of helping sell their products.”

How lobbyists changed policy

Briefing

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