Thewliss, who chairs three APPGs, rejected the offer in 2019. She called for greater transparency around the funding of APPGs and said MPs should look more carefully at who is paying for the groups and whether that “colours the work that is being done”.
“Some [APPGs] are producing reports,” she told openDemocracy. “They are meeting with ministers. So having accountability really is quite important.
“Who is paying for [the APPG] isn’t always immediately clear and it certainly isn’t reflected in the press coverage, for example.”
A spokesperson for Connect said it was not acting on behalf of any clients when it approached Thewliss. They also confirmed that the firm was not involved in registering or running the group.
“Connect were in discussions with interested organisations and parliamentarians about supporting the formation of an APPG,” the spokesperson said. “We offered to provide secretariat services, to support good practice and compliance with the rules on APPGs, although this was not taken forward and we are not involved.”
‘A back door for undue influence’
More than a year after being rejected by Thewliss, the APPG was eventually set up with support from a different lobbying company – and chaired by the Labour MP Jeff Smith.
He told openDemocracy he was not aware of Connect’s previous attempt to establish the group, adding: “I’m not aware of any link between Connect and the APPG.”
Ahead of its inaugural meeting, Smith told colleagues that the group had been “formed to provide a cross-party voice for nightlife businesses”.
Records show it received more than £7,500 worth of support from the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), which acts as the group’s secretariat, last year.
With the help of a lobbying firm called Tendo Consulting, the NTIA says it “lobbies” on behalf of the pubs and clubs it represents. Its members also include drinks companies Jägermeister, Red Bull, and Campari Group.
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