Bureau/Sunday Times investigation prompts complaint to PR regulator

MP lobbied for beer tax cut while employed by drinks companies’ PR firm. Flickr/Adermark

The public relations firm RLM Finsbury is to be investigated by the PR industry supervisory body following revelations by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Sunday Times earlier this month.

The investigation exposed potential conflicts of interest of Worcester MP Robin Walker who lobbied for a cut in beer tax while being paid more than £30,000 a year by Finsbury.

The campaign group Spinwatch has lodged a complaint with the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA). It has requested that the body terminate Finsbury’s membership, for breaking the organisation’s code of conduct. The industry guidelines state: ‘political consultants must not employ any MP, MEP, or sitting peer.’

Finsbury’s clients include Carlsberg and the restaurant and pub company Mitchells and Butlers.

Walker and Finsbury maintain that the MP has done no work for these alcohol companies, however the PRCA has confirmed that it is investigating the complaint.