Engaging with and advising policy makers

We are a leading professional services firm and our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. In fulfilling our purpose, we aim to make a constructive contribution to public policy debates. We believe that our insights can support and inform good policy making, effective opposition and better government, and in doing so we maintain a strict policy of political neutrality. Politicians and policy makers are important stakeholders to business and therefore it is important that we build relationships with them in areas of joint interest. We also engage with politicians, officials and regulators outside of the UK to reflect the international dimension of our firm’s work.

We have a Political Liaison Policy that applies to all UK staff and partners and governs the way that we interact with the main UK political parties. The Political Liaison Committee which oversees this activity meets quarterly, and includes a member of the Management Board.

The PwC Management Board and our Supervisory Board receive regular updates on our political activity to provide oversight and challenge to our activities. We also consult with our Public Interest Body on political matters when deemed relevant. The involvement of both the Management and Supervisory Boards and our Public Interest Body ensures that there is engagement, decision making and accountability of our political activities at a senior level.

Our Code of Conduct further outlines the principles which guide our activity. All Partners and employees are required to comply with the Code. We do not make political cash donations nor do we permit them to be made on our behalf, although from time to time we may sponsor targeted events for example at the annual political party conferences. On occasion, we provide non-cash assistance to the parties in the form of secondments, the value of which is always fully disclosed to the Electoral Commission. In considering any assistance (including expenditure on political activities), the PwC Management Board has regard to ethical considerations, the possible impact on clients of the firm and the firm’s overall reputation.

Our Political Activity Policy forbids the employment of elected members of Parliament or of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We do employ former politicians and civil servants, and we follow all relevant rules and regulations regarding their employment including the Code of Ethics of our own regulatory body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. You can view the Code here.

We are not a lobbying organisation; however, we sometimes communicate with policy makers on behalf of our clients and these conversations can fall within the scope of both the UK and Scottish Lobbying Acts. We have a UK-wide policy which applies to all staff and Partners and they are required to make an annual return confirming that they have complied with the rules if they have any such conversations. You can see our UK lobbying disclosures here and our entry on the Scottish Lobbying Register here. As part of the PwC IL network our activities in Brussels are included within our registration on the European Commission transparency register.

The UK firm is a member of the Professional and Business Services Council (PBSC) which is an independent forum for the PBS sector and government to work together to promote the long term success of the sector in the UK and internationally. Marco Amitrano, Alliance Senior Partner for PwC UK and Middle East, is a member of the PBSC, with other members of staff or partners chairing or otherwise involved with various subgroups.

PwC also supports All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) on a request basis and where we are able to provide valuable contributions to the debate with our involvement subject to the necessary approvals set out by our Political Activity Policy. This support can cover a range of activities including sponsorship, attendance at events, and contributions to specific research projects.

Throughout FY25, the firm engaged with policymakers in a variety of forums:

In FY25 (1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025), our engagement with policymakers ranged across several issues including a new industrial strategy, tackling economic inactivity, skills, corporate governance and audit reform, and AI adoption. 

PwC representatives attended the Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative and SNP party conferences in 2024.  

PwC attended and hosted several events with senior politicians across the year, including a roundtable on regional industrial strategy with the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin in partnership with IPPR North; a roundtable on economic inactivity with Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Treasury Select Committee in partnership with Re:State. PwC have also been represented at events hosted by the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Secretary of State for Business and Trade. 

PwC's Framework for Growth campaign combined business insight with economic modelling to identify the most impactful levers for UK productivity and growth. As part of the campaign, we convened a series of high-level roundtables across sectors and regions, bringing together senior civil servants and business leaders to inform the formation of the UK’s next industrial strategy.

PwC has also met with Ministers and civil servants to discuss key policy issues, most notably the industrial strategy, international trade and the upcoming Draft Audit and Corporate Governance Bill. In these meetings we have shared our expertise and perspective with policymakers, aiming to help create a policy framework that allows UK businesses to thrive.

Over the course of FY25, we provided submissions to Parliamentary and Government consultations on a range of issues. These included the Office for Equality and Opportunity’s consultation on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting, and a consultation exercise from the Business and Trade Committee to identify priorities and inform their programme of inquiries. PwC also had a representative at a roundtable hosted as part of this consultation exercise.