UK Public-Relations Firms Have Doubled Fossil Fuel Lobbying Since 2015, Investigation Finds
Report reveals surge in oil and gas influence over ministers even as climate pledges endure
A new investigation finds that public-relations firms based in the United Kingdom have significantly increased their work lobbying for fossil fuel interests since the landmark climate accord reached in 2015. In 2024 alone, at least 44 PR and consultancy firms lobbied government ministers on behalf of oil, gas and related trade groups — more than double the number recorded in 2015, the year before the UK ratified the Paris Agreement.
Many of the lobbyists also maintain clients in health, education and public sectors, prompting concern over conflicts of interest.([Global Witness][1]) The report analysed over 25,000 lobby-registrations between 2015 and 2024 made with the official UK register overseen by the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL).
It found that 93 of the 384 firms registered during that period declared fossil-fuel organisations as clients.
In 2015, minimal consultant lobbying was logged; by 2024 the number of firms actively lobbying for fossil fuels had grown to 44.([Global Witness][2]) The investigation also underscores a broader pattern: over a quarter of all consultant lobbyists registered since 2015 have carried fossil-fuel clients.
Many of these firms continue to serve public sector bodies — including health trusts, educational institutions and government agencies — while simultaneously advancing the interests of oil and gas companies.
Campaigners argue this dual role undermines the integrity of the UK’s net-zero commitments.([Global Witness][2]) Critics of the trend point to evidence that fossil-fuel lobbying has contributed to delays, dilution or blocking of progressive climate policies.
Recent analyses indicate that industry influence helped stall UK government plans to accelerate heat-pump roll-outs, sustainable aviation fuel adoption and tighter restrictions on new oil and gas licences.([resilience][3]) In response, advocacy groups and transparency-focused watchdogs are urging sweeping reforms to UK lobbying laws.
Recommended measures include expanding mandatory reporting to cover in-house as well as consultant lobbyists, publishing detailed records of meetings with policymakers, and establishing stricter boundaries around engagement between polluters and the public sector.([influencemap.org][4]) The findings arrive at a sensitive moment for UK energy policy.
As the government pushes toward a “just transition” to cleaner energy, experts warn that persistent fossil-fuel lobbying could undermine regulatory urgency and compromise public trust in the net-zero agenda.
Many of the lobbyists also maintain clients in health, education and public sectors, prompting concern over conflicts of interest.([Global Witness][1]) The report analysed over 25,000 lobby-registrations between 2015 and 2024 made with the official UK register overseen by the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists (ORCL).
It found that 93 of the 384 firms registered during that period declared fossil-fuel organisations as clients.
In 2015, minimal consultant lobbying was logged; by 2024 the number of firms actively lobbying for fossil fuels had grown to 44.([Global Witness][2]) The investigation also underscores a broader pattern: over a quarter of all consultant lobbyists registered since 2015 have carried fossil-fuel clients.
Many of these firms continue to serve public sector bodies — including health trusts, educational institutions and government agencies — while simultaneously advancing the interests of oil and gas companies.
Campaigners argue this dual role undermines the integrity of the UK’s net-zero commitments.([Global Witness][2]) Critics of the trend point to evidence that fossil-fuel lobbying has contributed to delays, dilution or blocking of progressive climate policies.
Recent analyses indicate that industry influence helped stall UK government plans to accelerate heat-pump roll-outs, sustainable aviation fuel adoption and tighter restrictions on new oil and gas licences.([resilience][3]) In response, advocacy groups and transparency-focused watchdogs are urging sweeping reforms to UK lobbying laws.
Recommended measures include expanding mandatory reporting to cover in-house as well as consultant lobbyists, publishing detailed records of meetings with policymakers, and establishing stricter boundaries around engagement between polluters and the public sector.([influencemap.org][4]) The findings arrive at a sensitive moment for UK energy policy.
As the government pushes toward a “just transition” to cleaner energy, experts warn that persistent fossil-fuel lobbying could undermine regulatory urgency and compromise public trust in the net-zero agenda.
