Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner will today [Thursday] pledge
to sweep away the broken ministerial standards regime with the
creation of an independent Ethics and Integrity Commission to
“turn the page on Tory sleaze” and restore standards in public
life.
In a speech to the Institute for Government, the Shadow
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will say that the theory of
“good chaps” has been tested to the point of destruction by
recent Tory scandals, as she outlines Labour’s plan for “a new
standards watchdog with tougher rules and stronger enforcement”.
The Labour Deputy Leader will pledge: “We will clean up politics,
so that by the end of our first term people don’t just feel
better off, they can see that politics is working for them, not
for Westminster.”
Rayner will say: “Our democracy cannot hinge on gentlemen’s
agreements, it needs independent and robust protection”. Labour’s
plan will “stop the rot” by putting the public first: “Politics
has to work for people - not for politicians. We are here to
serve the public, not ourselves.”
Setting out Labour’s plan for a new watchdog, Rayner will say:
“Existing bodies that have been undermined and weakened by Tory
Ministers - namely ACOBA and the Independent Adviser on
Ministers’ Interests - would be overhauled and subsumed into a
new Ethics & Integrity Commission, operationally independent,
and freed from Government control.”
The watchdog will also coordinate and work with the other
existing standards bodies and committees that do already work
effectively: “The Commission will be complementary, not
competitive, creating a more coherent approach to public
standards with a culture of integrity.”
Cabinet ministers have been forced from government on misconduct
grounds every three months under the current Rishi Sunak’s
leadership - , and . Of the four Conservative
prime ministers forced out since 2010, a total of 39 Cabinet
ministers have either been sacked, quit in disgrace, or resigned.
[1]
The replacement of the Independent Adviser would “put an end to
the current situation in which the Prime Minister is the judge
and jury on every case of ministerial misconduct”.
The Commission would instead have “the power to initiate
investigations into ministers without asking permission from the
Prime Minister. It will be able to determine breaches, and
recommend sanctions”.
Overhaul of ACOBA would mean “a more robust vetting system for
new appointments, with former ministers facing fines for breaking
lobbying rules”.
The Ethics & Integrity Commission will be charged with:
- Responsibility for ministers’ ethical standards and conflicts
of interest in line with the Ministerial Code.
-
Consideration and approval of applications under the business
appointment rules about new appointments for former
ministers.
-
Powers to initiate investigations into ministers, determine
breaches, recommend sanctions, publish findings and learn
lessons.
Rayner will say: “It will be a Labour government that cleans up
our politics. It will be a Labour government that restores faith
in public service where politicians serve the public, not
themselves. It will be a Labour government that provides that
leadership and makes our politics a force for good again.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
[1]
https://www.politico.eu/article/dominic-raab-latest-long-line-sacking-storm-out-britain-tories/
Institute for Government
Keynote speech: , Labour’s Deputy Leader
and Shadow Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster
Thursday 13 July 2023, 09:15 — 10:15 (BST)
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/angela-rayner
