Labour announces plan to overhaul and strengthen “broken” system that regulates Ministers

Labour will today set out plans to strengthen rules on the conduct of Ministers and protect taxpayers’ money by establishing an independent watchdog in the wake of the ongoing Conservative corruption scandal.

Labour’s Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Angela Rayner will announce Labour’s plan to establish an independent Integrity and Ethics Commission to replace the current “alphabet soup of different committees and advisers”. 

Rayner will set out how Labour will strengthen and uphold standards in public life and protect taxpayers’ money as recent scandals have proved that “our democracy cannot hinge on gentleman’s agreements - it needs independent and robust protection from Conservative corruption”. 

In her speech Rayner will argue the current regime – controlled by the Prime Minister – has failed to prevent government corruption. Due to the weakness of the rules and the lack of enforcement, Ministers have been allowed to break the Ministerial Code and rules without sanctions or consequences, while former Ministers such as David Cameron and Philip Hammond have been able to take paid lobbying jobs and £3.5 billion of taxpayers’ money has been handed to Conservative Party donors and cronies.

The independent Integrity and Ethics Commission will have the power to investigate Ministers, make decisions on sanctions for misconduct and ban former Ministers from any job linked to their former role for at least five years after they leave office. 

The Commission will integrate and strengthen the fragmented system responsible for investigating and upholding standards across government, which is currently split across a number of different bodies such as the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests and the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. 

Building on Labour’s five-point plan to clean up politics, Labour’s Independent and Ethics Commission will deliver tougher rules, tougher enforcement of the rules by a truly independent body and the protection of taxpayer’s money. 

Labour’s Independent Integrity and Ethics Commission will:

• Have the power to open investigations into misconduct and breaches of the Ministerial Code and access any evidence they need, replacing the role of the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests which does not have the power to open investigations without the approval of the Prime Minister;
• Set binding sanctions for breaches of the Ministerial Code, replacing the current broken system where the Prime Minister and former Ministers can simply ignore committees and advisers and Ministers face no sanctions or consequences when they break the rules;
• Recommend changes to update the Ministerial Code;
• Ban former Ministers from lobbying, consultancy or any paid work related to their former job for at least five years, closing the revolving door between Ministerial Office and lobbying for companies they used to regulate, and have the power to impose sanctions on former Ministers who break the rules
• Force Ministers to apply to the Integrity and Ethics Commission before accepting any job instead of ACOBA being unable to enforce its rulings.

Announcing Labour’s Independent Integrity and Ethics Commission, Labour’s Deputy Leader and Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Angela Rayner will say:

“The current system does not work and it has failed. It only works where there is respect for the rules and there are consequences for breaking them.

“Because of Boris Johnson there is no respect for the results and no consequences for breaking them. The current regime is no longer working precisely because we have a Prime Minister who is shameless in breaking the rules, and won’t enforce consequences on others who break them.

“Corruption – that is the word – is happening in plain sight and it is rife right through this Conservative government.

“And why do the rules and standards matter? Because the people who are picking up the bill for this corrupt government are the taxpayers whose money Ministers are wasting and abusing.

“If you break the rules there should be clear consequences. Our democracy cannot hinge on gentleman’s agreements – it needs independent and robust protection from Conservative corruption.

“Labour’s Independent Integrity and Ethics Commission will stamp out Conservative corruption and restore trust in public office.

“We will set tougher rules. We will ensure tougher enforcement of those rules, independent of political control. And we will protect taxpayers’ money against the abuse and corruption we have seen from this government.”

On the Ministerial Code and the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests Angela Rayner will say:

“The role of the Independent Adviser is toothless if the Prime Minister won’t act. And that suits Boris Johnson.

“The role of the Independent Adviser is not independent. They are not allowed to be independent because investigations can only happen when the Prime Minister says so.

“And the Independent’s Advisor’s advice is not worth the paper it’s written on because the Prime Minister can simply ignore it, and does – just like when the Home Secretary broke the Ministerial Code.

“Labour’s independent Integrity and Ethics Commission will replace this broken system.It will have the power to open investigations into Ministers’ conduct without having to seek the approval of the Prime Minister.

“The Commission will have the power to access any evidence they need and there will be clear sanctions for breaches of the Code so the Prime Minister is no longer judge and jury when it comes to the conduct of Ministers.

On ACOBA Angela Rayner will say:

“ACOBA was already a toothless and ineffective watchdog but under this government it has been muzzled and neutered.

“The system is pointless because the rules are too weak and there is no enforcement of them.
 

“Forget the revolving door, we currently have a system where the door is held wide open for former Ministers to line their pockets as soon as they leave office. 

“We will close this revolving door for good.Labour will overhaul this broken system and ban former Ministers from lobbying for at least five years after they leave office. No ifs, no buts and no exceptions. A total ban. And consequences – including financial consequences – if the rules are broken.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• Labour’s five-point plan to clean up politics:

• Ban all second jobs for MPs, with very limited exemptions
• Stop the revolving door between Government and the companies that ministers are supposed to regulate with a ban for five years after leaving office.
• Stop Tory plans for foreign money in British politics and create strict rules about donations from shell companies. 
• Stop waste and corruption with taxpayer’s money with a new Office for Value for Money and reform of the public procurement system.
• Strengthen the government standards system with a new independent integrity and ethics commission to defend and extend standards in government. We have a strong system in the House of Commons with the independent commissioner on standards and the standards committee. In addition we need an overarching independent body across government with adequate powers to look at ministers’ behaviour both in and out of office.

Labour reveals £3.5 billion of Covid contracts were awarded to Conservative Party donors and friends of the Conservative Party:

https://labour.org.uk/press/crony-covid-contracts-hit-3-5bn-of-taxpayers-money/

• Committee on Standards in Public Life report: Upholding Standards in Public Life

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/upholding-standards-in-public-life-published-report

• When ACOBA said that Philip Hammond broke lobbying rules, Conservative Ministers ignored their letter for 3 months and then took no action and refused to consider any sanctions – despite agreeing that Hammond had broken the rules.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/nov/26/philip-hammond-using-government-connections-labour

• David Cameron’s defence for his lobbying on behalf of Greensill was that everything that he did was within the rules.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/apr/11/david-cameron-breaks-silence-on-greensill-lobbying-scandal