Corporate executives and lobbyists are being offered the chance to pay £2,500 for a day of special access to Conservative ministers at the party’s annual conference, including George Osborne and David Cameron.

More than 30 ministers are being made available to paying guests at the Conservative party’s “business day” next month, which promises the opportunity for discussion with senior politicians. They include those responsible for business, tax and procurement.



Cameron is due to give a Q&A session over the “business day lunch” to the grouping, while Osborne will host the dinner. The leaflet setting out the agenda says: “Business day offers representatives from the business community the opportunity to engage in discussion with senior Conservative politicians.”

The party refuses to reveal the guestlist but an agenda for the event reveals that executives can attend a series of intimate “break-out sessions” with ministers relevant to their area of business, as part of a packed agenda.

The agenda for the Conservative party ‘business day’ and dinner. Photograph: Conservative party

For example, Philip Dunne, the defence procurement minister, will host a meeting on defence; Matthew Hancock, a Cabinet Office minister, will lead a session about public procurement and the trade minister, Francis Maude, will give the one on exporting.

Four finance ministers will give speeches on “a view from the Treasury”, Sajid Javid, the business secretary, will provide insight into the Tories as “the party of business”, and Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary, and Amber Rudd, the energy secretary, will talk delegates through the “long-term economic plan”.

The Conservative party is not the only one that charges companies to meet its senior politicians at annual autumn conferences. Labour and Liberal Democrats all hold similar events – although at less than half the cost – and without the ability to offer government ministers with influence on policy.

The Conservative leaflet inviting people to the ‘business day’. Photograph: Conservative party

Tamasin Cave of the Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Spinwatch said there needed to be more transparency from all the parties about who is attending the events. She said: “Conference season is the one time lobbyists break cover. You can clearly see the investment made in lobbying; what return they get for that investment, we can only guess at.

“This is access for sale, pure and simple. Every year is the same. Neither Cameron’s promise to shine a light on lobbying, nor the government’s sham register of lobbyists, does anything to tackle it. Corporate lobbying remains a scandal at the heart of our politics.”

Pete Mills, a policy officer at Unlock Democracy, called for the parties to disclose the list of attendees at a minimum. He said: “It is outrageous that private companies are being offered privileged access to senior ministers at party conferences, and doubly outrageous that parties are profiting from it. This is cash for access, plain and simple.

“Private companies get cosy meetings with ministers, political parties get cold hard cash. Everyone’s a winner except the public, who are kept in the dark about who is attending these ‘business days’.

“We will never know what backroom policy deals are struck in these meetings. At a minimum, political parties should publish a list of attendees so we know who is paying to meet ministers.”

A Conservative spokesman said: “This is an important opportunity to engage directly with small, medium and large businesses and to highlight how, as part of our long-term economic plan, we will continue to back business and enterprise to create jobs.”