The rise of the sites, most of which are open about their partisan agenda and view themselves as the left-wing counterparts to existing right-wing tabloids, has been extensively covered by BuzzFeed News before and after the election.

They blurred the line between reporting and left-wing activism, taking advantage of Facebook's algorithm and a gap in the market for pro-Jeremy Corbyn content to produce some of the most read articles of the election and push issues such as fox hunting and the ivory ban on to the agenda of online readers.

The world of lobby journalism, with dozens of journalists from rival publications based in neighbouring parliamentary offices and attending the same events, dates back to the 19th century. Correspondents, who have security clearance, are often given advance warning of government announcements for planning purposes, access to twice-daily briefings from the prime minister's spokesperson, and invitations to attend policy launches and speeches.

Journalists with full lobby passes also have the right to stand in the members' lobby of the House of Commons and talk to MPs, while being given the freedom to roam around parliament.

There are no clear rules on which outlets are granted passes, with access controlled by the historic office of the Serjeant at Arms, but sites are expected to show evidence of their readership and commitment to covering parliamentary proceedings. In recent years sites such as BuzzFeed News, HuffPost, and Politico have been granted passes, enabling their reporters to be based out of Westminster alongside broadcasters and traditional newspapers.

There are currently no representatives of the new group of hyperpartisan left-wing websites – something that the sites now want to change. The White House press corps went through an equivalent process following Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, when many upstart right-leaning pro-Trump websites were allowed into briefings.



The Canary's editor said the site is considering whether to apply for a lobby pass, although the focus is currently on expansion and building the site's Canary TV project.

"It's really important to increase the diversity of media outlets that are interrogating our government and our opposition parties and we hope to see more new media outlets involved," said Kerry-Anne Mendoza.

One of the main challenges for the sites, if successful in their application, could be funding a London-based employee to work as their lobby correspondent. Many of them survive on donations from readers and limited advertising revenue. Although many of the leading left-leaning viral sites report seeing substantial growth in income, most still rely on part-time writers based outside the capital.