Top lawyers in House of Lords rail against disclosing foreign interests
Members of the House of Lords have criticised stricter rules on disclosing payments from foreign governments.
The upper chamber decided without a vote there should be no exemptions from the tougher transparency regime, despite concerns expressed by senior members of the legal profession sitting on the red benches, due to the duty of confidentiality.
One former attorney general said he now had to decide whether he would take a leave of absence from Parliament, while another top barrister branded it “an intrusion”.
Foreign interests
It follows the introduction of a new requirement for members to register foreign interests, including money paid by companies or individuals connected to overseas governments.