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Lords Communications Committee recommends live broadcast of lobby meetings

Posted: 26/01/09 By: Nigel Brown

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The UK government's morning 'lobby briefing' at Downing St should be televised, the House of Lords Communication Committee has suggested.

Since hearing further evidence last year regarding the drawbacks of the Westminster 'lobby' system, the committee recommended broadcasting morning lobby briefings with the Prime Minister live on t he Number 10 website.

Footage could then be made available to broadcasters, the committee said, as part of its review of how 2004's Phillis Review of government communications has been implemented.

By making the briefing publicly available the committee said myths about the lobby - and the sense of secrecy that surrounds it – could be dispelled.

The aim of the Phillis Review was to ensure the government's communication policy be based on, 'openness not secrecy'.

According to the committee, allowing select journalists access to off-the-record, unattributed opinions made in the Member's Lobby, was a 'barrier to openness'.

In October political editor of the Daily Mail, Ben Brogan, described the system as 'quasi-masonic'.

The committee also recommended that ministers make policy announcements to parliament before going to the media.

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ben brogan | house of lords | lobby system | phillis report |

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