Skip to search boxSkip to navigationSkip to main content

The lobby in transition: what the 2009 MPs' expenses scandal revealed about the changing relationship between politicians and the Westminster Lobby

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Abstract

The 2009 MPs' expenses scandal was one of the most significant political stories of modern times. It raised questions, not just about the ethics and behaviour of MPs but also about the relationship between politicians at Westminster and the political correspondents who follow them on a daily basis, known as ‘the lobby’. For the significance of this scandal, in media terms, was that the story was not broken by members of the lobby but came from outside the traditional Westminster news gathering process. This paper examines why this was the case and it compares the lobby today with that which was described and analysed by Jeremy Tunstall and Colin Seymour-Ure in their respective studies more than 40 years ago. The article concludes that the lobby missed the story partly because of the nature of the lobby itself and partly as a result of a number of specific changes which have taken place in the media and the political systems over the past 40 years.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output: Contribution to journal Article Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 45-58

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Media History (Volume 19, Issue 1)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 01/02/2013

Publication status

Published - 01/02/2013

ISSN

1368-8804

External Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/594867
  • Scopus: 84873554227

Access to documents

Publication metrics