Constitution Unit publishes joint statement on standards
24 June 2024
The Constitution Unit has today published a joint statement with the Institute for Government and UK Governance Project setting out seven steps to restore trust in the system for regulating ethics in public life.

The Constitution Unit has today, 24 June, published a joint statement with the Institute for Government and UK Governance Project (a cross-party commission chaired by former Attorney General Dominic Grieve KC) setting out seven steps to restore trust in the system for regulating ethics in public life, many of which a Prime Minister can easily implement straightaway.
The leaders of these organisations, Dr Hannah White, Professor Meg Russell and Dominic Grieve KC, have also been joined by numerous others in writing a letter to The Times in support of the statement.
Drawing on recent reports from the Institute for Government, Constitution Unit and UK Governance Project, the seven steps cover the Ministerial Code, conflicts of interest, lobbying, post-government employment and appointments, appointments to the House of Lords, public appointments and the honours system.
This call is made at crucial moment as the next government has the opportunity to renew and strengthen the standards which protect our democracy, at a time when trust in UK politics and the people and institutions of public life are at an all-time low.
Authors of recent reports on standards from all three organisations (Dominic Grieve KC, Peter Riddell and Tim Durrant) will speak at the first panel of our free, online conference on standards in government and parliament at 1pm today (24 June). Other panels will cover English devolution, the rule of law and House of Lords reform. A recording of each panel will be made available on YouTube and in podcast form after they take place.
Key links
- Read the statement
- Read the letter in The Times (£)
- Sign up to attend our conference
- Rebuilding trust in public life by Tim Durrant (Institute for Government, February 2024)
- Trust in Public Life by Robert Hazell and Peter Riddell (Constitution Unit, March 2024)
- Governance Project Report (UK Governance Project, February 2024)