September 5, 2022 - Transparency International UK is calling on the Prime Minister to begin restoring public trust in politics by backing a Bill that would enshrine public standards bodies and the codes they oversee in law.

The Public Service (Integrity and Ethics) Bill was today presented to Parliament by Lord Anderson of Ipswich KBE QC.

The private member’s bill would give effect to recommendations made by the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) in their Standards Matter 2 report, which was the biggest inquiry into the rules and systems governing integrity in public office in years.

The review concluded that the system designed to ensure integrity in public life is no longer working and requires major reform.

If enacted, the Bill would:

• Place three standards watchdogs and the codes they oversee on a statutory footing, which would stop them from being discarded by the Prime Minister of the day. These include the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests and the Ministerial Code, as well as the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) and the Business Appointment Rules.
• Increase the level of independence in the appointment process for each of these regulators.
• Give the Independent Adviser statutory powers to launch investigations into potential breaches of the Ministerial Code and the autonomy to report whether a breach has occurred.

Daniel Bruce, Chief Executive of Transparency International UK, said:

“This Public Services Bill provides the incoming Prime Minister with the opportunity to begin to rebuild trust in politics by enshrining public standards bodies and the codes they oversee in law. The only controversial thing about this Bill would be opposition to it.

“The constant drumbeat of political scandal has been a hindrance to the effective running of government, which clearly the new Prime Minister will be keen to resolve. With public trust in politics at a worryingly low ebb in recent years, strengthening the UK’s safeguards against impropriety in high office couldn’t come soon enough. The refreshed government should lend their support to this Bill, and begin the process of restoring trust in public life.”