UK pressure groups

Pressure group

An organised group that tries to influence government policy without seeking to govern.

Insider group

A group that has close access to the government and influences policy from within such as the national trust

Outsider group

A group with little government access who uses public protests to influence policy.

Sectional group

A group that represents the interests of a specific section of society, such as doctors or workers.

Cause group

A group that seeks to influence a specific cause

Think tank

A research organisation that develops policy ideas and tries to shape the political agenda.

Lobbying

Directly communicating with politicians to influence government policy or decisions.

Direct action

Disruptive protest, such as blocking roads, used to force an issue onto the agenda.

Pluralism

The idea that power is spread across many groups, so pressure groups help democracy.

Resources

Money, members and expertise give a group more capacity to campaign

Public support

Popular backing makes it harder to ignore a group, while unpopular tactics can backfire

Government alignment

A group is more likely to succeed when its aims match the governing party’s priorities.

National Trust (example of insider success)

An insider group with over five million members, whose 2011 campaign led the government to soften its planning reforms.

Extinction Rebellion (example of outsider impact)

An outsider group whose mass protests in 2018 and 2019 raised climate change up the agenda.

Insulate Britain (example of outsider backlash)

An outsider group whose road blockades led to about 690 arrests and a public backlash

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (example of government retaliation)

A law which gave police more power to restrict noisy or disruptive protests

Example of sectional insider group

British Medical Association who represent doctors negotiating pay

Centre for Social Justice (example of think tank influence)

A think tank founded by Iain Duncan Smith whose ideas helped shape Universal Credit.