The attached briefing sets out a practical policy agenda to restore integrity to public life in this parliament. It is designed to address the most visible weaknesses in the UK’s political standards system: patronage in appointments, the role of big money in politics, opaque lobbying, and the lack of statutory safeguards against future democratic backsliding. It highlights immediate steps that can be taken to show that there are high levels of ambition about rebuilding public trust in politics.
We present the overwhelming case for action before recommending the following agenda – transformative and ambitious enough to address the issues, visible and strong enough to reassure the public, whilst realistic and sober enough to remain achievable this parliament:
· Immediate reform to the Lords appointments process
· Ending risks of cronyism in public appointments
· Meaningful constraints on the role of money in politics
· Comprehensive transparency register – no more lobbying in the dark.
· Statutory powers for standards regulators to future-proof the system
