Surveys of public opinion – including our own – continue to show that trust in the UK’s elected officials is abysmally low. The blame for much of this can be laid at the door of the behaviour of senior political figures in the last decade. But those actions have been enabled by a lax system of regulating the behaviour of elected officials, both during their time in office and afterwards, that relies far too heavily on an outdated “good chaps” theory of regulation.
Spotlight advocates for improvements in the way standards in public life are regulated and monitors the government’s efforts in this area. As part of this work, we recommend putting the standards regulators on a statutory footing and giving them the resources and independence to do their jobs properly. We also advocate for improved lobbying transparency and more effective procedures for tackling conflicts of interest in government.
Last night the government’s latest departmental lobbying transparency data dropped – two months late. So late in fact that the content is primarily of historical interest: the data relates to...
In introducing this week’s King’s Speech, the new Prime Minister said “the fight for trust is the battle that defines our political era.” But some key measures crucial for restoring...
Political integrity crises are not unique to the UK. Over the past decade, Australia has faced its own issues, dropping in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index by over 10...
Trust in UK politics, politicians and government is at record lows. Concerns that the UK is becoming more corrupt and its politicians lack integrity are a crucial part of this...
Nine months ago the government promised it was introducing “a wide-ranging programme of reform to strengthen ethics and integrity in central government.” In particular, it promised “fundamental reforms” to the...
Threats to the UK’s democracy in the context of election finance, including foreign money, dirty money and the risk of undue influence by high-level donors.
Spotlight on Corruption and Transparency International UK have produced a joint briefing ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on 11 January 2024 on parliamentary democracy and standards in public life....
After reforms to lobbying rules are eventually implemented, there will still be no requirement to disclose non-diarised informal lobbying in departments’ transparency releases, even if it impacts upon or shapes...
