Meg Russell signs letter in the Times on the UK’s ethical landscape

Read the letter (£)

The Director of the Constitution Unit, Professor Meg Russell, has joined Dr Hannah White (Director of the Institute for Government) and Dominic Grieve KC (Chair of UK Governance Project), as well as Sir Peter Riddell (Honorary Professor and former Commissioner of Public Appointments), in signing a letter to the Times urging the Prime Minister to deliver on his commitment to strengthen the UK’s ethical landscape.

Building on Keir Starmer’s commitment to 'a politics of service', the letter comes after four months of multiple ethical and governance issues. It covers the Ministerial Code, conflicts of interest and lobbying, post-government employment, House of Lords appointments, public appointments and the honours system. It stresses that action is needed if the Prime Minister is to rebuild trust in politics, but that much action can be taken immediately, although legislation would help to embed the changes.

The letter reiterates a previous statement, which was also accompanied by a letter in the Times, produced by the three organisations in June, during the general election campaign, setting out seven steps to restore trust in government ethics.

Today's letter reads as follows:

Sir, When the prime minister took office, he committed his government to a “politics of service”. In fact the government has confronted four months of ethical and governance issues. With the budget now complete, the prime minister must implement Labour’s pledge to strengthen the UK’s ethical landscape. A good basis is the seven-point plan our organisations proposed before the election: publication and independent enforcement of a more effective ministerial code; new systems for managing conflicts of interest and lobbying; better regulation of post-government employment; appointments to the Lords made after an independent assessment of merit and contribution; rigorous and transparent future public appointments; and strengthened independence of the honours system, including by ending prime ministerial patronage. Many of these can be introduced immediately, though legislation would help to embed the independence of the system. Action is needed, not just words, to rebuild trust in politics, and it is needed now.

Key links

• 'Rebuilding public trust in politicians' – read today’s letter in the Times (£)
• 'Constitution Unit publishes joint statement on standards' – read about our previous statement and letter in the Times
• 'Seven steps to restore trust in government ethics' – read the previous statement
• 'Restoring trust in the political class' – read the previous letter in the Times (£)