Listening to @AnnTaylor_HoL @lloyd_rm & @petraschleiter
on the implications of repealing the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act at @ConUnit_UCL event. What are implications for the Transparency of Lobbying Act?

Currently, the Lobbying Act places limits on campaigning activity during a & #39;regulated period& #39; - a year in the case of a General Election. Campaigners can work out when the regulated period starts by counting back a year from the date of a fixed GE.

But if the date of the election is movable, there& #39;s no way of knowing when the regulated period starts. This is a problem, because campaigners might overspend during a regulated period without realising.

Or they might hold back from campaigning on important issues because they& #39;re afraid of crossing the spending thresholds of the Lobbying Act, when actually they& #39;re not in a regulated period at all. This is the & #39;chilling effect& #39; campaigners worry about with the current act.

So if the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act is repealed it will be imperative to look at the Lobbying Act as well, otherwise there will be constant confusion about whether lobbying is regulated or not.