Keir Starmer has been slower to publish the Ministerial Code than many of his recent predecessors, including Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, David Cameron, and Gordon Brown, according to campaign group Unlock Democracy.
Where is the new Ministerial Code, Starmer?
As Transparency International wrote, the Labour Party government has been caught in a storm of its own making over gifts and donations:
In response, ministers were eager to distance themselves from any comparisons to the previous government, insisting that Labour’s focus on delivering their new ‘missions’ would rebuild trust in politics. But simply delivering on promises isn’t enough.
Indeed – because so far, Starmer’s government has still not published an updated Ministerial Code. The Institute for Government noted that “new versions of ministerial codes are usually published at the start of each new administration, although in certain circumstances it is updated more frequently”.
Cameron, the last leader of the opposition to become prime minister, published his version of the Ministerial Code within three weeks of the 2010 election.
However, Starmer has taken over three months.
Unlock Democracy is a not-for-profit organisation which campaigns for a vibrant, inclusive democracy that puts power in the hands of the people. Its latest report, Power to the People?, charts a path forward to restore power to local communities in England.
‘Perpetuating distrust in politics’
Now, the group is calling on the prime minister to delay no further. Tom Brake, director of Unlock Democracy, said:
This unnecessary delay in publishing the Ministerial Code risks perpetuating distrust in politics at a time when the public is crying out for higher standards in public office.”
In the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal, David Cameron’s foreword to the code emphasised the need for his government “to be different” in order to “rebuild confidence in our political system.
Now, with public trust in government at record lows, Unlock Democracy is urging the prime minister to make good on Labour’s manifesto commitment to uphold “the highest standards of integrity and honesty” in public life by reversing changes made by Boris Johnson and empowering the ethics advisor. Oh, and publishing the new Ministerial Code, too.
According to the campaign group, Sir Laurie Magnus should be able to launch his own inquiries and wield proper sanctioning power, with the role placed on a statutory footing. Tom Brake added that “indications that the ethics advisor role might finally get proper teeth are promising – we hope the prime minister hasn’t got cold feet”:
It’ll be an interesting test of Starmer’s sincerity whether, as well as empowering the advisor, he reinstates the term ‘honesty’ to the code after it was removed by Boris Johnson.
Featured image via the Canary
