Most special advisers become lobbyists after leaving government – new research

There are numerous factors that influence public trust in government, one in particular is the relationship with people in power and lobby groups. Some of the recent scandals that have damaged public trust in British politics have related to people with private financial interests having far more access to politicians than we might like – and with people connected to politicians getting special treatment.

Most special advisers, who act as senior advisers to ministers in government, are supposed to wait two years before taking a job lobbying government for a new employer but this rule is rarely enforced.

There is a general sense that the revolving door between politics and the world of lobbying spins a little too fast these days.

In new research, we looked at just how fast by conducting a study on the post-government career moves of 521 former British special advisers who served ministers from 1997 to 2017. The goal was to see how many ended up in corporate lobbying jobs. And indeed, most did.