Time to Shed Light on the Murky World of Lobbying

It seems an unhappy mixture of braggadocio and stupidity led Stephen Byers to liken himself to a "cab for hire" and claim he had used his influence with Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, to help National Express extricate itself from a loss-making rail franchise. That is the only conclusion we can draw from this episode, given Lord Adonis's vehement and persuasive denial yesterday that he had been influenced in any way by his predecessor.

The boastful Mr Byers last graced the Cabinet table eight years ago; yet the image of him touting for cash is a disagreeable one that exposes another seamy aspect of life at Westminster. It is not only their expenses that MPs are adept at exploiting; they are also rather good at trading for hard cash the information and contacts they have made while in office. More disturbing than the Byers case is the eagerness with which Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon, both of whom were members of the Cabinet just nine months ago, were happy to sell their services. In defending Gordon Brown's refusal to hold an inquiry into these disclosures, Harriet Harman, the Leader of the Commons, yesterday insisted existing regulations are adequate. She is wrong.'

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