When it comes to ethics in public life, structures are no substitute for judgement

It would be an understatement to say it has been a difficult few weeks for the government on the ethics front. The continuing fallout from the Mandelson scandal has seen the departure of the prime minister’s chief of staff. And a recently-appointed Labour peer (and close ally of the prime minister) has had the whip removed after it emerged he had campaigned for a convicted sex offender. The government is trying to get on the front foot on this issue, pointing to its work on ethics, including the creation of the Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC) and the duty of candour included in the Hillsborough law. Darren Jones, Starmer’s chief secretary, also made a statement in the Commons setting out what else the government would do to strengthen ethics in government after the recent revelations. ⁹ Cabinet Office, 9 February 2026, Updates on Standards in Public Life, www.gov.uk/government/speeches/updates-on-standards-in-public-life   

Amidst all this, the IfG held a private discussion with the EIC, various ethical regulators and interested civil society groups to reflect on the work of the EIC to date and what it will focus on in the coming months. While much progress has been made on this key manifesto commitment, the EIC was never intended to solve all ethical problems in government. After these various scandals for Labour, ministers need to show they have the judgement to avoid further mistakes. 

The Ethics and Integrity Commission has lots to do, but it cannot solve all the government’s problems

At our event, we discussed the EIC’s role in overseeing the ethics system. There was a lot of enthusiasm in the room around the potential of the EIC to align ethical standards across government, parliament, and the wider public sector, as well as to strengthen democracy by taking on a more active public education role. The discussion reflected the many more responsibilities that the Commission has than its predecessor, the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL). One of its new core duties is to produce an annual report on standards – presented in the form of a letter to the prime minister – which is likely to become a noteworthy annual event. 

Despite these expanded responsibilities, the EIC remains fundamentally an oversight body, not an enforcer. It does not have the authority to investigate individual cases of alleged ethical impropriety or to impose sanctions on individuals or bodies that fall short of their own organisation’s standards. When the EIC was announced the government referred to it as a “one-stop shop” ¹⁰ Cabinet Office, 21 July 2025, Ethics and Integrity Commission to drive up standards across the public sector, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ethics-and-integrity-commission-to-drive-up-standards-across-the-public-sector   but this risks storing up problems later down the line for the EIC and the government if the public are given unrealistic expectations of the extent of the EIC’s remit and capabilities. In its current form, it cannot serve as an arbitrator for ministers’ actions. The government will need to show it is tackling standards in other ways.

The government has not yet converted ambitions into outcomes

In his response to the Mandelson revelations, Darren Jones set out what the government is already doing and what more they hope to do. He referred to the government’s legislative plans on various aspects of standards in public life, as well as other commitments to review current arrangements. Amongst these reforms is the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law. The bill introduces several new provisions including a duty of candour for public officials, and a duty to assist in some inquiries and investigations. Additionally it mandates every public authority to adopt a code of conduct based on the Nolan principles, which will be overseen by the EIC. The Bill also seeks to replace the common law offence of misconduct in public office with two new statutory offences. At present, though, the Bill is on hold, the result of disagreements between the government and campaigners on the application of some provisions to the security service.  

Last week the government also introduced the Representation of the People Bill. This legislation is designed to, among other things, tackle political interference in elections by reforming political finance rules. While reforms have been broadly welcomed, some organisations have also warned that they do not go far enough. ¹² Transparency International, 12 February 2026, Elections bill - new rules will still allow the super-rich to buy political influence, https://www.transparency.org.uk/news/elections-bill-new-rules-will-still-allow-super-rich-buy-political-influence  Notably the government has not adopted recommendations by CSPL and others to tighten up loopholes for foreign donations through shell companies. And the government has not used the bill to restate the Electoral Commission’s independence, reversing prior changes that the previous government brought in, despite Labour previously opposing those changes whilst in opposition.

Jones also referred to various reviews, including of how government departments publish information about ministerial meetings and whether current guidance on the use of WhatsApp is up to scratch. However, he made no new commitments beyond reviewing arrangements. If the government is to bring about meaningful change for upholding ethics in public life, it must strengthen the system through a clear and coherent narrative for a wider package of reform that works together, not merely introduce unnecessary complexity or burdens. 

Ultimately, restoring trust in public life comes down to judgement 

By running on a ticket of ethics and integrity, this government set a higher threshold for itself. Labour argued that they were more trustworthy than their Conservative predecessors, but the frequent scandals they have stumbled into since taking office have shown that they are not inherently more ethical than those in other parties. If the desire is to be better than recent past governments, making progress on the legislation and converting Darren Jones’ tentative reviews into tangible change will provide some important steps. 

But much more important than new structures or rules is the leadership that politicians show. Ministers and their advisers will only be able to start rebuilding trust in politics when they both behave ethically and show that they are behaving ethically – and it is personal judgement, not formal processes, that will allow them to do so.