Scottish Labour has blocked journalists from attending a lobbying event for business which is running alongside its party conference in Glasgow this week.

A number of frontbench figures will appear at the Scottish Labour Business Forum, which will “allow C-suite business leaders an opportunity for high level discussion with senior UK and Scottish Labour politicians”.

While Labour members, trade union delegates and the press will be milling around the main conference at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, business leaders will mix with senior politicians and party officials just around the corner at a sold-out private event in the Crowne Plaza hotel.

While press were able to attend the UK party’s recent business conference in London, when asked a Scottish Labour spokesperson told openDemocracy that "there will be no press accreditation for our Business Forum event," and refused to provide a copy of the agenda or a list of attendees.

Since Labour leader Keir Starmer embarked on a high profile bid to win over big business in late 2021, the party has been repeatedly criticised for its level of engagement with corporate interests and their potential influence over policymaking, while grassroots campaigners and the general public have little access to the party.

Last year, Nick Dearden, director of campaign group Global Justice Now, told openDemocracy that “many parts of society with an alternative vision of the future are finding it really hard to even get a single meeting with shadow ministers”.

‘The highest quality engagement’

According to the conference website, the event has been “specifically designed to facilitate the highest quality engagement between Labour politicians and the business community”.

Those attending the event have been promised “plenty of opportunity” to speak with politicians, prospective candidates and “senior business advisors” on a range of policy issues, with a focus on “how business and government can better interact and work together”.

Lobbying firm Arden Strategies is the official partner for the event, but the party has refused to provide a list of its other sponsors. Arden is run by former Labour minister and Scottish leader Jim Murphy, with two prospective MPs also currently working for the firm.

The sponsorship of the main conference is dominated by energy firms and industry bodies. Offshore Energies UK is sponsoring the ceilidh – a traditional Scottish dancing event – on Saturday evening, gas firm SGN is sponsoring the welcome reception and energy company SSE is sponsoring the exhibitor lounge.

The party is charging £550 for a day pass to the event, which will include a business breakfast, a number of panels and roundtable discussions, and an evening reception for “informal networking”.

There will be a panel on energy policy with the chief executive of Scottish Renewables, the industry representative body for the renewable energy industry and the CEO of Centrica. They will appear on the panel alongside Ed Miliband and Sarah Boyack, respectively UK Labour and Scottish Labour’s energy security and net zero chiefs.

The all-day event is set to feature contributions from shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones, deputy Scottish Labour leader Jackie Bailie, shadow Scotland secretary Ian Murray, and “other senior members of the UK and Scottish shadow cabinet and frontbench”.

None of these Labour politicians responded to requests from openDemocracy for more details about the event.

Tom Brake, director of standards campaign group Unlock Democracy, said: "Good habits are formed in youth. Some of these MPs could be ministers in the next government. They could set an early good example, get ahead of the game, and publish details of whom they are meeting and why, just as they will need to do in Government. This will reassure the public that they are listening to all sides of the argument and won't be influenced only by business interests."

As the requirements for transparency around lobbying differ in Scotland from England and Wales, certain lobbyists will have to register their engagements with MSPs at the conference in the next set of lobbying returns, which are published every six months.

However, there is no requirement for lobbyists to register their attempts to influence opposition parties in Westminster. Campaigners have previously called for changes to the lobbying transparency system to include opposition lobbying, which the head of the lobbying watchdog has said would “make it a more comprehensive system”.

Juliet Swann, the nations and regions programme manager at Transparency International UK, told us: “When political parties host exclusive events, there is a risk that privileged access is being exchanged for a fee.

“While attendees speaking with MSPs will be responsible for recording those meetings in the lobbying register, those same conversations had with MPs will remain secret.

“Any political party committed to ethics and integrity should make transparency a standard feature of their engagement with outside interests. Parties should be open about who is getting access to them, and encourage those attending events like these to complete their lobbying returns in quick time.”