‘Corporate funding of all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) should be banned, according to a senior MP who has warned that the unofficial Westminster bodies “are the next big scandal waiting to happen” after a huge rise in their numbers under the coalition government.
Labour’s Graham Allen said that vested interests and lobbyists funding these groups – however worthy their cause – raises understandable concerns among voters. Politicians who care passionately about particular issues are “perfectly capable” of running APPGs themselves, he added…
… The Independent revealed last week that Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi, co-chair of the APPG on Kurdistan, recently led a delegation of MPs to the region which included a visit to an oil field run by a company in which he has publicly declared he holds shares. That group’s secretariat services are provided for by Gulf Keystone Petroleum International whose parent company is a major oil player in Kurdistan.’
Read more: Corporate funding of all‑party groups 'next big scandal' after huge rise under the coalition
