December 12, 2022 — Responding to the House of Commons voting to update the Parliamentary Code of Conduct, Duncan Hames, Director of Policy at Transparency International UK, said:

“The tightening of rules preventing MPs lobbying on behalf of private interests is to be welcomed after multiple second-job scandals put into question in whose interest parliamentarians really work. A survey by the Hansard Society showed that 63 per cent of respondents felt the British system of government is rigged to the advantage of the rich and powerful. The new ban on MPs working as paid political strategists and advisors will help improve trust in our elected officials.

"The government has said it is now working to publish ministers’ transparency data of meetings and hospitality on a monthly basis from next summer. We have heard similar pledges before but if this recommendation from the Committee on Standards in Public Life is adopted in 2023 it would improve the timeliness of the ministerial data and allow greater scrutiny of ministerial interests.”