Cameron’s slim majority presents opportunities for lobbyists from all sectors

At the first Cabinet meeting, David Cameron held aloft the Conservative manifesto and said:

“I want you to remember what we were elected on; this document. In here is a programme we have a mandate to deliver. All of it. This will be a different Government. It is not a coalition, so we can have proper accountability, no trading away of things that are in here. That is one of the most important things we can do to restore trust and faith in politics – if you vote for something, you get in, and that is what we are going to do.”

I suspect no one will be happier to hold David Cameron to account than his own backbenchers. With a quarter of Conservative MPs now serving in Her Majesty’s Government, that leaves 244 Conservative backbenchers to ensure the Government is able to pass legislation. It will only take a handful of these 244 Conservative MPs, with a united Opposition (by no means a certainty), to disagree with the government for a Bill to fail.

It is easy to draw parallels with John Major’s 1992-1997 reign. His government, with a majority of 21, limped from vote to vote, struggling to get majorities greater than single figures. But this experience bruised the Conservatives and few in the party want to see a return to those dark days. We should expect to see a more disciplined Conservative party, particularly in the run-up to the much desired European referendum in 2017 (if not earlier).

Nonetheless, these powerful backbenchers present opportunities for lobbyists. Securing a group of 20 Conservative MPs who will advocate your cause puts you in a strong position to influence the policy debate. Conservative backbenchers will of course be wise to their newfound power and responsibility, and will be more reticent in giving their support, but securing government backbencher support has become a far more powerful tactic in lobbying at Westminster.