3 methods used by UK pressure groups to achieve their aims

P1 - Lobbying (Insider)

• WHAT? - In a professional capacity, attempting to influence or advising those who wish to influence govt, parliament, devolved legislatures, regional/local govts or any matter within their competence → The ‘core’ executive

• EG. LGBT Rights Pressure Group Stonewall, for example, was primarily an insider pressure group when New Labour were in power, using lobbying and playing a key role in policy formulation to achieve their aims. As a result, they had important successes including equalising the age of consent for gay and straight individuals to 16 years old as part of the Sexual Offences Act 2000, for which the Parliaments Acts 1911 and 1949 had to be invoked to overrule HOL opposition (Outsider to Insider)

• Greensill- Cameron Scandal (Revolving door syndrome) - In 2020, several months before Greensill Capital collapsed, Cameron lobbied govt to change rules to allow it to join Covid Corporate Financing Facility scheme, which would enable it to issue govt guaranteed loans to support firms during COVID in UK, which had had a major economic impact. Cameron lobbied Chancellor Sunak via text messages with 1 phone call, the nature of which was not disclosed.

• Attempts to limit power & influence of PGS however → PPERA 2000 (Political parties, elections & referendums act): Controls on which donations & loans party can accept, Certain donations & loans must be recorded and reported to Electoral Commission

• Transparency of lobbying, non-party campaigning & trade union administration act 2014: Establishes statutory register of consultant lobbyists to increase transparency & make sure public is aware of who influencing govt

P2 - Direct Action

• Often used by outsider groups

• May include degree of civil disobedience, illegality or even violence

• Eg. 2 Just Stop Oil activists was jailed for up to three years, after causing traffic gridlock when they scaled a bridge on Dartford Crossing in Oct 2022 → Shows how disruptive outsider methods can be ineffective if they have limited government support and alienate the public to their cause.

• Extinction Rebellion blockaded three printworks belonging to Murdoch’s News Corp, disrupting distribution of major national newspapers – including The Sun & Daily Mail → Was seen as an attack on free press by Priti Patel

• Major anti-Iraq War protests in 2003, arranged by the Stop the War Coalition, and the 2019 Peopleʼs Vote march for a second referendum on Brexit both had over 700,000 participants but failed to change government policy.

• However - Success of protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza that took place consistently in London throughout 2024, with over 100,000 attendees → Public pressure & anger demonstrated by social movement played key role in the Labour decision in Sept 2024 to suspend some of its arms export licences to Israel

P3 - Legal Action

• Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) used high court to challenge govt’s ‘right to rent’ scheme from 2018 onwards as it required private landlords to check immigrant status of tenants or potential tenants → HC saw it incompatible with articles 14 & 8 of ECHR in HRA 1998 leading to govt appeal to court of Appeal which justified govt’s actions - Unsuccessful?

• For Women Scotlandʼs successful legal challenge against the Scottish Government in April 2025. → Not only did this get SC to reverse Scottish Govtʼs decision to include transgender people with Gender Recognition Certificates in their definition of ‘sexʼ in Equality Act, it also got SC to explicitly define ‘womanʼ as based on biological sex in Equality Act - one of pressure groupʼs key beliefs and aims.

• This also led to the UK govt accepting ruling demonstrating how pressure groups can use judicial review to influence the government & achieve their policy aims.

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