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the behaviour of elected officials, both during their time in office and afterwards, that relies far too heavily on an outdated “good chaps” theory of regulation.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.
UK Anti-Corruption Coalition says the billions wasted, the VIP Lane, and the near-total lack of accountability must trigger urgent reform before the next crisis
The Ethics and Integrity Commission has published a landmark review, calling for sweeping reforms to lobbying and transparency rules. With trust in politicians at record lows, the government should crack on with implementing these recommendations, demonstrating its commitment to tackling undue influence and unfair access.
The Government’s response to the Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner is out. Largely, the Government has accepted the Commissioner’s recommendations for tackling fraud. Disappointingly though, the Government rejected four of Tom Hayhoe’s 22 recommendations, which are critical to protecting public funds from fraud and corruption.
The submission calls for a robust ban on cryptocurrency donations which covers contributions to individual politicians as well as political parties and the emerging risks linked to politically affiliated memecoins.
The government’s lobbying review is a rare chance to fix a transparency regime that has fallen behind international standards. Our submission calls for a comprehensive lobbying register, tougher enforcement, stronger disclosure rules, and reforms to rebuild public trust in decision-making.
We are in an era of profound disillusionment in politics. Recent polling by More in Common shows that 87% of Britons have little or no trust in politicians, with public...
The government’s plan to raise the bar for including consultation requirements in legislation is a risky move that could threaten public trust in politics.
The government’s plan to raise the bar for including consultation requirements in legislation is a risky move that could threaten public trust in politics.
