Tech firms met UK ministers far more often than child safety groups, analysis finds

US technology companies have been meeting UK government ministers at a rate of more than once per working day, giving them high-level access that campaigners say dwarfs that of child safety and copyright groups, a Guardian investigation found. An analysis of meeting records for the two years to October 2025 found Google had the greatest access, with more than 100 ministerial meetings.

Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Elon Musk’s X were among US firms holding hundreds of meetings, and the industry body Tech UK met ministers at a rate of more than once every eight working days. The technology companies and their lobbyists attended at least 639 meetings with ministers, compared with 75 meetings attended by organisations campaigning for greater protections for children online such as the NSPCC.

A separate read of more than 11,000 records showed almost 160 meetings with technology companies, more than 100 with organisations lobbying on AI and copyright, and 25 involving child-safety groups. Campaigners said the pattern revealed an "incredible power imbalance". Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the frequency of meetings was "astounding" and pointed to that imbalance in protecting children online.

Ed Newton-Rex called the figures "shocking" and said they explained why ministers had launched an AI and copyright consultation "with a 'preferred option' that read like a wishlist from big tech".

Key Topics

Politics, Google, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, X