A major step forward for political transparency has arrived in Scotland. Open Access, a web platform dedicated to tracking UK ministerial meetings and lobbying interactions, has now expanded to include Scottish lobbying data. The update, supported by the Waverley Street Foundation, marks a significant shift in how political influence is monitored across Britain.
The expansion was officially unveiled at The Gathering, an annual event hosted by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) in Edinburgh. Transparency advocates, including investigative news outlet The Ferret and environmental justice campaigners from Friends of the Earth Scotland, participated in a panel discussion highlighting the importance of lobbying transparency and how data can drive advocacy efforts.
Shedding Light on Political Influence
Lobbying has long been a crucial part of policy-making, but without transparency, it can tilt the scales in favor of those with financial or political leverage. Open Access seeks to change that by making lobbying activities more visible and understandable to the public.
The platform consolidates ministerial meetings data from Whitehall and Scotland, detailing interactions with Ministers, Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs), Special Advisors, and senior officials. With the latest update, users can now filter meetings by key topics:
- Climate
- Health
- Defence
- Housing
These filters aim to help the public, journalists, and campaigners track patterns in lobbying efforts and understand who is influencing decision-making behind closed doors.
What the Data Reveals
An analysis of the newly available Scottish lobbying data has already provided some striking insights. Open Access researchers published a report, Power Politics, outlining emerging patterns of climate lobbying in Scotland. Here are some key findings:
- One in ten ministerial meetings in the UK and Scotland involve just ten companies, primarily fossil fuel giants or energy firms.
- Two-thirds of recorded lobbying engagements in Scotland come from corporations, trade associations, or consultant lobbyists.
- Energy companies use multiple lobbying avenues—Shell, for instance, engages directly, through trade groups like Energy UK, and via consultancy firms like True North Scotland.
- Civil society organisations account for nearly 20% of lobbying meetings with Scottish ministers, compared to only 10% in Whitehall.
This imbalance raises concerns over the fairness of political access. When corporations and trade associations dominate discussions, they can shape policies not necessarily based on merit, but on their financial capacity to engage policymakers frequently and extensively.
Corporate Messaging and Political Influence
Beyond tracking the volume of meetings, researchers examined how corporate interests frame their lobbying messages. Their analysis was informed by InfluenceMap’s fossil fuel playbook, which documents industry narratives used to delay climate action. Several recurring themes emerged from Scottish lobbying engagements:
- Energy Security: Emphasizing the importance of a diverse energy mix and reducing reliance on imported oil and gas.
- Job Creation: Highlighting local employment opportunities and the long-term economic benefits of fossil fuel projects.
- Lower Energy Bills: Positioning domestic oil and gas as a way to keep household costs down.
- Future Technologies: Promoting unproven solutions like carbon capture and storage as key to achieving net-zero emissions.
These narratives closely align with findings from Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Polluted Politics report, which scrutinized lobbying efforts surrounding the proposed Peterhead power station.
A Call for Greater Scrutiny
Lobbying transparency is about more than just collecting data—it’s about making sense of it. The dominance of corporate voices in ministerial meetings calls into question whether policymaking is truly representative of public interest. When certain stakeholders have disproportionate access, it risks entrenching power dynamics that benefit industries rather than communities.
As calls for lobbying reform grow, Open Access provides a critical tool for journalists, activists, and citizens to hold decision-makers accountable. By making this data more accessible, the platform encourages scrutiny of political influence and creates pressure for more inclusive policymaking.
For now, Open Access remains an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to understand and challenge the often opaque world of political lobbying. With the expansion into Scotland, the platform offers a clearer view of how power and policy intersect across Britain.
