Lobbying fears as MPs’ interest groups receive £13m from private firms

APPGs are informal groups representing MPs’ and peers’ interests, and can have a key role in drawing parliament’s attention to issues. Photograph: dave_valler/Getty Images/iStockphoto

More than £13m has been poured into a growing network of MPs’ interest groups by private firms including healthcare bodies, arms companies and tech giants, fuelling concerns over the potential for backdoor influence.

Analysis by the Guardian and openDemocracy found that more than half the total £25m in funding for all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) since 2018 has come from the private sector.