Reading Time
3 minutes 50 seconds
The release of Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) reveals an alarming trend. In an increasingly volatile world, the global fight against corruption has hit a plateau, with established democracies in particular showing concerning declines.
The UK illustrates this trend, remaining stuck at its lowest score since 2012. Now we find ourselves languishing at 20th place globally – a dramatic fall from our position just outside the top ten only three years ago.
This year's results indicate these low scores aren't merely a temporary blip but risk becoming embedded in our political culture. This stagnation is particularly concerning as corruption increasingly impedes progress on global challenges around the globe, especially the climate crisis, which is the theme of this year’s index.
What is the CPI?
The Corruption Perceptions Index draws upon several different surveys of business leaders and experts to score and rank countries by their perceived level of public sector corruption.
Questions generally include their views on topics such as (mis)management of public funds, the corrupting influence of political donors and bribery in the award of public contracts. Whilst it’s not a measure of instances of corruption in business and politics, it offers a snapshot of the concerns of business leaders and experts towards corruption in their countries.
A story of continued decline
The data for this year’s CPI runs from January 2022 through to September 2024, with most surveys falling between late 2023 and mid-2024. During the data collection period, the country witnessed significant political turbulence, including the resignation of a Prime Minister following investigations into misleading Parliament. The position of Anti-Corruption Champion also remained vacant for two and a half years, signalling a concerning lack of priority given to anti-corruption efforts.
The survey results were a real mixed bag, with no overall shift in the UK’s score. While there were some improvements to perceptions of corruption in government and the wider public sector, significant concerns about bribery and abuse of public office remain.
Despite positive developments under the new government, it should have no grounds for complacency. There is a serious risk of stagnation while longstanding issues remain unresolved. The spectre of wealthy donors threatening to buy our democracy provides a stark reminder of how exposed Britain is to being bough buy vested interests. Failing to act now risks repeating the mistakes of past administrations, and doing further damage to faith in our democracy.
The need for reform
To their credit, ministers recognise political finance is an issue that is growing too big to ignore. Indeed, the Labour Party committed to protecting democracy by strengthening the rules on political donations if elected to office. The question now is how meaningfully they deliver on this pledge, and their broader aim of ensuring the highest standards of integrity. Our proposals on how they can do so are threefold.
First, there is a growing consensus that now is the time to take big money out of politics. It would not be hard for ministers to reduce significantly campaign spending limits, which were increased in the last Parliament without justification. This would have the benign consequence of reducing their fundraising targets, and the associated pressure to accept inappropriate donations. It would also make annual donation caps – proposed by the Committee on Standards in public life over a decade ago – a less intimidating proposition.
Second, it could do more to raise standards in government. Fixing the revolving door between the public and private sectors would be a good start, preventing former ministers and senior officials abusing their privileged knowledge of high office for private gain. Similarly, the opacity of lobbying in the UK makes it an outlier compared to its allies in Europe and North America. Bringing this activity out of the shadows would help increase accountability over those involved in decision-making.
Third, fundamental reform of the House of Lords appointments process would show the government is committed to leading from the front to improve the UK’s reputation on the global stage.
As we look ahead, the message is clear: the UK cannot afford to be complacent about corruption. Without decisive action to restore integrity to public life, the country risks further decline in its standing and, more importantly, in its ability to tackle the critical challenges facing the world today.
The findings of the 2024 CPI should serve as a wake-up call for UK policymakers. In an increasingly unstable world where corruption threatens to undermine responses to critical challenges, the UK must do better.
The reforms we’ve proposed offer a clear roadmap for improvement – what remains to be seen is whether there is the political will to prioritise them.