A significant proportion of the work attributed to Grayling Political Strategy has in fact been carried out by our PR or events teams and all of our public sector work has been won through open and transparent tendering processes.
Most concerning, the Conservatives' claim that public affairs companies are being hired to help public sector bodies argue for more funds is simply not true. That does happen - nor is it illegitimate either - but in my experience it is unusual. There are formidable pressures on public sector bodies to communicate with many different groups. Companies such as Grayling provide cost-effective and professional support to the public sector to be transparent and accountable - Mr Hurd should recognise that.
Vivien Hepworth, UK chairman, Grayling.
