Public Affairs: The week in Lobbying

PR Week UK, Friday, 12 December 2008, 12:00am,

- Sainsbury's has drawn up a shortlist of six agencies as it reviews its public affairs account. The list is believed to include incumbent Fishburn Hedges. PRWeek revealed the account was going out to pitch two weeks ago (28 November).

- Burson-Marsteller has become the first major public affairs agency to sign up to the European Commission's controversial register for Brussels-based lobbyists. Ten weeks ago just two UK-based agencies had signed the 'voluntary register of interest representatives' (PRWeek, 3 October).

- General Motors has signed up TUI Travel industry affairs manager Danielle Chapman as government and community relations manager for the UK and Ireland.

- Pagoda PR has appointed Stephen Gethins, former head of communications for the SNP Group at Westminster, as a senior consultant working across PR and public affairs.

- Saffron Chase has been called in by the new All Party Parliamentary Group for UK-India Trade & Investment Relations to publicise its activities to the UK and Indian business community. The group will be launched in January 2009 with members including Patricia Hewitt and Charles Clarke.